Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART
by Vile.EXE
Summary: Follow the story of Kohaku Yudin, an ace Game Card collector in the bustling metropolis, Sigma City. When he receives an odd silver card from another boy, it starts him on a path that will challenge his will, strength, and determination as he realizes his true destiny. My own unique YGO series!
1. Level 001

**Vile: Well, it's been almost a week since Valentine's Day, and over the last six days I've been working on this little number: Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART! This story might be in the ZEXAL category, but it doesn't have anything to do with ZEXAL: This is my own universe, with all my own characters and plot elements. I'll be honest, I'm nervous as to whether or not this will be good, but I guess that's what you readers are here for: To judge it for yourselves! I say we don't waste any more time with this. While I don't own the card game, I can safely say that I DO own everything in this fic, except cards that aren't bolded. Enjoy, everyone!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 001: Press Start To Play! Player 1: Kohaku Yudin!

A low, rather quiet hum was heard in an odd area. The area had black flooring with a green grid pattern, and the sky was plain dark blue. There were no signs of any life. A golden circle moved across the sky, possibly the sun of this mysterious space. All of a sudden, a laser beam struck the sun and shattered it to pieces…

…Leaving behind a gold "+15".

"Ha ha! Gold target's mine!" A male voice shouted. All of a sudden, two figures dashed across the land, clad in silver jumpsuits. One of them had red markings on them, and the other had blue markings. They were moving along the ground using roller skates while somehow aiming skeet rifles across the air, target cursors in the sky. As they skated, red, blue, and green targets moved through the air in formations.

"You haven't won yet!" A different male voice said, probably the other skater. The two characters began blasting at the targets, "+1"s coming from the red targets, "+3"s from the green targets, and "+5"s from the blue. Then, black targets began flying in, and some of the shots hit them, "-3"s coming from them. "Kuso!"

"Don't drop now!" The first voice said as they continued shooting targets. Eventually, the two skaters saw a white-and-black checkerboard line on the ground: A finish line, which both of them crossed, sliding on their skates to face the opposite direction before coming to a stop, somehow not sliding on the wheels, their rifles to their sides.

**FINISH!**

Both characters flipped up full-face visors, revealing two faces behind them. Then, their faces appeared next to two "00"s, which quickly increased until reaching final scores.

**Kohaku: 54**

**Makoto: 37**

**Kohaku Wins!**

"Yatta, ha ha!" The red-marked skater said, doing a slight break dance before taking a pose, the blue-marked skater sighing before leaning over, shaking his head.

The laughter of multiple people was heard as the visual zoomed out, being a projection on open space, which cut out. There was a group of teenagers in an open park, many of which were cheering. "I don't get you, Kohaku! How do you always manage to beat me?" A 16-year-old boy with black hair and blue eyes asked.

The person he was talking to gave a chuckle. This person, a boy around 16-and-a-half, was wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, a green summer jacket with a flare in the back, white gloves, light blue shorts that came over his knees, white socks, and dark blue shoes. Held in one hand was a long ovular red device with a screen in the middle, and in his other hand was a green sun visor. His face held a confident yet humble smile, his skin was an average tone, and his eyes were an iconic cyberspace green. His hair stood out greatly: It was golden blonde, coming down to his shoulders, but in the front was a red, spiky, M-shaped fringe, giving him a widow's peak of sorts, and coming from the back were six cobalt blue spikes, pointing straight down with a 15-degree outward angle. The spikes also angled to the sides slightly, so while looking at him dead-on, you could slightly see them. "I get a lot of practice, Makoto-kun!" The boy said. "I've gotta make sure I've earned my title: Ace Game Card Player…" He placed his visor on his head, slightly obscuring his fringe, then regaining his confident look. A card with a burnt orange frame slid out from a slot in the back of his device, which he grabbed and held by his face. "Kohaku Yudin!"

_**(A/N: Kohaku Yudin Voice-Actor: Scott Menville, as Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia)**_

Makoto smiled and held out a hand. "Good game, Kohaku." He said. Kohaku shook Makoto's hand firmly.

Then the device Kohaku was holding went off. "Hang on a sec, guys." He pushed a button on the bottom that said "HOME", taking him to a menu of sorts, finding an email. "Hmm?" He opened the mail and read it.

_Where r u? We were gonna find our classrooms today -Doc_

Kohaku's eyes widened. "Aw, man! I forgot about that." He said, quickly sending a message back.

_On my way. I'm near a monorail station –Kohaku_

A message came back within seconds.

_Go to Chi Station –Doc_

Kohaku nodded, placing the device inside what looked like a holster on his back, closing it. "Sorry, guys, I gotta run! See ya!" He said, running off, the other kids waving as he left. Kohaku reached a station that was near his location, a large Greek letter Xi emblazoned on the overhead. A monorail, though it looked only as long as a bus, was parked there as people began to enter. The boy went up to a ticket worker. "Direct ride to Chi Station. Delta High pass."

"Can I see your student ID, please?" The worker asked. Kohaku pulled out his device, pressing a few buttons before an ID Card appeared on-screen, which he showed to the worker. "All right, you're all set!" Kohaku nodded and walked toward the nearby monorail while the ticket worker said something over a mic. The man near the door nodded at him as Kohaku boarded the monorail. Not many other people were on the train.

_"Direct path: Chi Station."_ A voice said over an intercom.

Kohaku moved to a seat and sat down, but he immediately noticed that the seat felt lumpy. "Nani…?" It was then that he heard snoring. Looking down, he saw a white blanket covering a body. "EEGH!" He cried, jumping up. Upon further inspection, this wasn't an ordinary blanket. This boy was wearing it over his body. He had long and VERY thick lavender hair that completely obscured his eyes, but the snoring clearly indicated that he was sleeping. His skin was the same tone as Kohaku's. The blanket-like addition came down to just below his knees, showing black shoes and the bottoms of gray pants. Kohaku smiled as the monorail began to move. Leaning down, he moved some of the hair away from the boy's ear. "Mezameru!"

Upon that word being said, the lavender-haired boy immediately snorted, his eyes opening. His eyes were a dull brown. He slowly sat up with a yawn. "Where am I…?" He said, groggy before looking at Kohaku. A small smile came over him. "Oh, hey, Koha-kun. Where am I?"

"You're on a monorail that's on its way to Chi Station. Did you forget? We were supposed to meet Doc-kun and Plata-chan to find our classes today." Kohaku said, placing his arms behind his head. "Why are you even here, Yoru-kun?"

Yoru yawned again. "I was going to meet up with Doc and Plata, but I fell asleep before the monorail moved. Having narcolepsy is no picnic, Koha-kun."

_**(A/N: Yoru Mezameru Voice Actor: Greg Cipes, as Kevin Levin from Ben 10: Alien Force onward)**_

"Yeah, I know. It's still a way to get a good laugh, though." He smirked at Yoru. "You know I'm right."

"If I didn't know you were right, I'd be pissed at you right now." Yoru said, making them both laugh.

Within a few minutes, the monorail came to a stop. _"Station Stop: Chi Station."_

"Gotta love these high-speed monorails." Kohaku said, standing up. Yoru nodded and followed him. The two of them exited the monorail and headed on their way, giving a gesture to the ticket worker. Kohaku pulled his device out of his holster, whipping out a stylus pen from a holster in the back of the device and tapping the screen.

"I've been meaning to get my D-Controller and Gamepad customized." Yoru said, pulling out a small white box. "I'm thinking of going with purple."

"Purple sounds good, Yoru-kun." Kohaku said. "I'm just making a few adjustments to my D-Vatar." A virtual chibi Kohaku was on-screen, an ID Card next to him. He updated the status on the Card from "Sophomore" to "Junior". The D-Vatar hopped one with a closed-eye smile. "There, accurate."

"Hmm, I'd better do that too." Yoru said, pulling out his own Gamepad. A chibi Yoru appeared on-screen, and its ID Card was changed as well.

After about five to ten minutes, the two teens were in view of a large school building, four floors high, a large Delta symbol on it. "Hey, there you are!" A voice said. Kohaku and Yoru turned to see two people in front of the building. One was a 16-year-old boy with pale skin, red eyes, and medium-length dark orange hair in a bowl cut. He was wearing a standard button-up white shirt with a red collar and sleeve cuffs, jeans, and white shoes, and around his neck was a doctor's headband. The other was a 16-and-a-half-year-old girl with tanned skin, short black hair, and sharp light gray eyes. She was wearing a dark green band over her breasts, acting like a bra of some sort, a short-sleeve ridged blue jacket was tied in a knot at the bottom, exposing her midriff, black sweatpants, and green boots.

_**(A/N: Jason "Doc" Robinson Voice Actor: Roger Craig Smith, as the current Sonic the Hedgehog voice)**_

"Hey, Doc! Sorry for taking so long, guys!" Kohaku told them.

"Hey, you found Yoru! Where were you?" The girl asked.

_**(A/N: Plata Vuelo Voice Actor: Hynden Walch, as mid-tone between Starfire and Blackfire from Teen Titans)**_

Yoru scratched the back of his head nervously. "Eh heh… Gomen, Plata. My narcolepsy kicked in on a monorail. Good thing Koha-kun woke me up."

"I do what I need to." Kohaku said. Then the four of them looked at the school. "Well, gang… we've done this once, so this is basically New Game Plus: Our return to Delta High." He smirked and pumped his left fist. "It is ON!"

* * *

***Opening Song: Start the Game* *Melody: Over The Top from Mega Man Battle & Chase, Game Intro Version***

_***8 second intro*** (Kohaku's red Gamepad spins into the air, being grabbed. Kohaku is then shown placing his visor on his head, looking at the camera with a smirk, then holding the Gamepad in front of him like a video game controller, the screen turning on as it zooms in.)_

_**Don't give up the fight! Play on!** (Kohaku drawing a card from his D-Controller before leaping toward a flagpole, grabbing hold of the rope and swinging down, raising the Delta High flag)  
**(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)** (Multiple HERO-like monsters fly past him)  
**Fight to reach your goal! It's on!** (Doc appears with his headband on his head, tossing vitamin pills forward with a shadowed dragon behind him. The screen switches to Plata waving a blow torch around, multiple Machine-Type monsters behind her. The screen switches again, and Yoru rises up, apparently having just woken up, several other monsters rising alongside him as if they had just woken up.)_

_***rest*** (The three of them are standing beside Kohaku, who leaps forward)_

_**With every step you take you grow** (Kohaku presses the buttons on his Gamepad furiously, transparent images of various games being played appearing on-screen)  
**Everything you do, big or small, paves the road** (Two eight-and-a-half-year-old kids, one boy with spiky cobalt blue hair, one girl with red hair in a mushroom style, jump in past each other, high-five each other, then jump up in excitement, a few shadowed kids jumping up behind them. The screen switches to a shadowed male form spins around on one foot before punching with his right fist, a shadowed monster outlined in red behind him, heavy wind blowing)  
**Life's just a game that everyone has to play** (Multiple human monsters leap forward, the screen zooming toward a shadowed female form that swings her arm, forming a cyan-colored circular barrier that Kohaku tries to punch through, but he is blown back)  
**Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day** (Kohaku screeches to a stop, snapping his head up before holding a card to the sky, the card shining red, a large red warrior appearing behind him conjuring fire)_

_**Level yourself up, and you can make it through** (Kohaku, Doc, Plata, and Yoru's D-Vatars run along a path, jumping through the screen to become the real deals)  
**(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)** (The screen flashes through several shadowed characters and their monsters)  
**There's a great big world, waiting for us!** (Kohaku's Gamepad clacks onto his D-Controller on his wrist, the Card Zones extending)  
**All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!** (Kohaku smirks and does a fist pump/thumbs-up with his right arm to the camera as his red warrior appears behind him, shooting a fireball at the screen)_

_**It is ON!** (Kohaku is striking a pose with Doc, Plata, and Yoru, with the title in front of them)_

* * *

The interior of Delta High was surprisingly busy: School didn't start until tomorrow, yet there were numerous students walking around, either checking their classes or just hanging out with other students. Kohaku, Doc, Plata, and Yoru walked in the building, Kohaku breathing in through his nose. "Hah… smell the aroma of nostalgia, guys." He said.

"Uh, I think that's my wake-up breath." Yoru said.

"Gross, man…" Doc complained.

"All right, we might as well get searching." Kohaku said, pulling out his Gamepad. "Let's see, where did I store that schedule information…?" He tapped across the screen with the stylus until he found a small file. "Is this it?" Tapping it, a list of classes came up. "Yep, found it!"

"Hey Koha-kun, let's see if we've got any classes with each other this turn!" Plata said. She had out a dark green D-Controller Gamepad. Yoru had out his Gamepad while Doc had out a white Gamepad.

"Sounds like a plan." Kohaku said, tapping an option on his Gamepad that said "Sync Up". An icon appeared on-screen that said "Syncing…", which appeared on the other three Gamepads. Soon, all four said "Sync Complete". Everyone else's schedules appeared on every screen. On each schedule, some classes were highlighted in different colors. One thing that stood out was that the first class was highlighted on all four schedules, making Kohaku grin. "Aces! We've got the same homeroom!"

"How lucky are you, Koha-kun? Second year in a row that we've got the same homeroom." Doc said, making Kohaku laugh. "Looks like we're heading to Room 307. That's two floors up. I've got a map up. Follow me." Doc led his friends to a nearby staircase, the four of them going up two full flights to reach the third floor, following a map of the school, revealing the school to be shaped like a large triangle. Upon reaching the third floor, the group passed by a few classrooms. One side of the building's room were counting up from 301, so they were going the right way.

"Yo, Koha-kun!" A voice called out. Kohaku looked and saw a student with dark green eyes and medium-length black hair with purple streaks running at him with a grin. He was wearing a red shirt decoration with a large X-shaped design going over the shoulders to the back of the shirt, creating a loop. The X design was purple with gold borders, several gold circles going down the X, ending in a star in both the front and back centers. He also wore gold-colored pants and white shoes.

"Oi, Ginju-kun!" Kohaku called back, pointing a finger at him in a gesture.

Ginju screeched to a halt by them, dropping his grin. "You hear the news? Cleo's trying to pass that uniform requirement for the school!"

All four of Kohaku's group went wide-eyed. "EH?!"

Doc facepalmed. "Unbelievable… she's trying this again?"

"You'd think she would've learned her lesson after last year. Oy, ella es estúpido. (Oy, she's stupid.)" Plata said.

Kohaku, however, was still smiling. "Ah, there's nothing to worry about. Cleo-chan's never gonna get that thing passed."

Ginju grinned again. "Roger that, Koha-kun! Can't keep chatting, I got a bet to make with a group of guys! Ja ne!" He quickly ran off toward the stairs.

"Share some spoils with us, if you get any!" Kohaku called back. Ginju threw up a peace sign before heading downstairs. "You think that guy will win his bet?"

"Who knows? He can be pretty *yawns* lucky." Yoru said. The group continued on down the hallway until they reached their destination: Room 307. Kohaku tested the door, finding it unlocked, allowing them to check it out. The room seemed basic enough: There were three rows of three tables: Six three-seat tables and three four-seat tables, making 30 seats total, with a teacher's desk in the front. A couple students were already in the room.

"So this is where the days will start." Doc mused as he entered the room with the others. "Rather quaint."

Kohaku walked over and took a seat at the end of one of the four-seater tables. "Oh yeah, I think we'll be right at home here." He said, placing his hands behind his back.

"Uh… we've still got seven classrooms to look for." Yoru said.

Kohaku looked at him. "Oh, yeah. Let's go." He got up out of his seat and left the room with his friends. Kohaku checked his Gamepad. "Looks like Plata-chan shares the next class with me. Looks like this is where we split up for now."

"We'll meet up in the break area in the middle of the school." Doc said. "Hope everything goes well!" Everyone signed off before leaving, Kohaku and Plata going down the hallway while Doc and Yoru went back toward the staircase.

"Okay… next class is Room 319." Plata said. Looking at the room numbers, the other side was counting down from 333. "Should be on the right."

"Don't move!" A voice suddenly shouted. Female. Kohaku and Plata immediately went rigid, exasperated looks on their faces.

"Oh, don't tell me…" Plata sighed as she and Kohaku turned around. Sure enough, there was a girl their age looking at them, about 5'5" with orangish-yellow hair in two side ponytails, skin that was midtone between Kohaku and Plata, and big blue eyes. She was wearing what looked like a sailor fuku school uniform, being predominantly black with gold trim.

Kohaku's face became a cocky smile. "Long time no see, Cleo-chan." His voice sounded sarcastic.

Cleo immediately walked up to them. "You're coming with me, Yudin!" She said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him.

"H-Hey!" Kohaku griped, struggling.

"Bug off, Hamun!" Plata said, grabbing Kohaku from behind and pulling him back, causing Cleo to lose her grip and fall to the floor.

Kohaku fixed his shirt. "Whew. Arigatou, Plata-chan." He said, high-fiving her.

"You've got some nerve, Vuelo." Cleo said, picking herself up. "In case you weren't aware, I'm the Class President of your homeroom, which I'm in as well." She held out a gold Gamepad with a schedule on it, smirking with her eyes closed as the homeroom was highlighted. It was the same as Kohaku and his friends' homeroom.

Kohaku pretended to look interested. "Ooh, what a surprise!" He said, sarcasm extremely obvious. "You mind telling me who you paid off to fix that schedule?"

"Or who she laid with." Plata whispered loudly in his ear, causing Kohaku to snicker loudly before laughing out loud, high-fiving Plata again, who was also laughing.

Cleo was fuming. "I HEARD THAT!" She walked back up to them. "You'd better watch your steps this year, or I'll-"

Kohaku placed his hand over her mouth, muffling her speech. "Okay, seriously, Cleo-chan, this is getting old!" Cleo backed off. Kohaku was somehow still smirking. "You've been getting on my case for practically no reason since we were 13! What did I ever do to you?"

Cleo "hmph"ed, flicking one of her ponytails. "You're an uncivilized boy who needs to learn that your carefree attitude isn't going to help you in the real world."

"And what about you?" Plata jumped in. "Acting all higher-than-thou since eighth grade just because you have an Egyptian ancestry! There is such a thing as being too civilized, y'know!"

Cleo gasped. "Blasphemy! Being civilized will mean the difference between making a living and ending up on the streets. You of all people should know that, being from Mexico."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY, PUTA (bitch)?!" Plata yelled, furious, about to reach for something under her jacket.

Kohaku quickly stopped her, confusing Plata. "Don't bother, Plata-chan. She ain't worth it. Besides," He began, making Cleo look at him. "How would she know what your country's like when she hasn't even been to her supposed 'homeland'? How does she know Egypt's not just a big-ass sandpit?"

Cleo's eye twitched before she growled angrily. "YUDIN!"

"Ja ne!" Kohaku said innocently before rushing down the hallway, Cleo tearing down after him. "Meet me with the others, Plata-chan!" Plata threw a peace sign, but she was laughing like heck. Kohaku pulled an armrail slide down the flights until reaching the first floor, then quickly bolting down the hall and ducking into an open room. It was empty, so Kohaku didn't have to worry about him being ratted out.

"You can't get away from me!" Cleo was heard, her footsteps rushing down the air but passing right by the room he was in. Kohaku heard the footsteps fade from earshot, chuckling to himself.

"Oh, she's funny when she's mad." He said, peeking out of the room. She was gone. Kohaku left the room and rounded a corner, but ended up bumping into someone. "Oof!" He reeled back a bit, but kept his footing. He saw the person he had hit: A 15-year-old boy who was apparently a first-year student. He had long and frizzy scarlet hair, pale skin, and dull pink eyes. His face looked completely emotionless. He had on a drooping orange tank top with creepy markings on it over a black long-sleeve shirt, green pants with the same creepy markings, black futuristic-looking boots, and dark blue gloves with spiked cuffs. "Oops. Gomen, kid."

"…It is no worry." The boy said. His voice was emotionless, yet it sounded creepy. "We have not met. Who are you?"

Kohaku thought this kid seemed friendly enough and smiled. "Name's Kohaku Yudin."

The boy gave a very small smile. "…Kuran Hiwatari." He held out a hand, which Kohaku shook.

"…Can I see your Gamepad?" Kuran asked, pulling out an orange Gamepad.

"Uh… I guess so." Kohaku replied, handing Kuran his red Gamepad. Kuran Synched Up the two pads and began transferring data from his Gamepad to Kohaku's. Kohaku's D-Vatar went to Kuran's, finding no other D-Vatar, confusing it. Returning to Kohaku's Gamepad, his D-Vatar saw a map of Delta High appear, a red line moving from point to point before stopping and vanishing.

"…All finished." Kuran said, handing Kohaku back his Gamepad. "I used your class schedule to plot your route for you."

"Neat! Arigatou, Kuran-kun!" Kohaku said with a smile.

"First name already, Yudin…?" Kuran asked.

Kohaku scratched the back of his head. "Ehehe, it's something I do. Honorifics are just nicknames to me."

Kuran nodded, giving another very small smile. "Very well then. Perhaps you should go to the center area. There are some interesting Duels going on, to my knowledge."

Kohaku gave it thought. "Yeah, I could do that. I'm supposed to meet the others there later, anyway. Arigatou, Kuran-kun."

"…No worry. If I may ask a favor in return, though?" Kohaku was all ears. "I have recently acquired this. It is my first card of this type." He held up a card. It was a monster, but it had a bright red card frame.

"Your first Composition Monster, huh? I see you're finally getting with the times!" Kohaku said with a smile.

The younger boy nodded. "However, I am lost on how to Summon such a card. Would you please show me how to…" He looked at the card again. "…Composition Summon?"

"Sure thing, Kuran-kun. Come on, let's go to the center area." The tri-color-haired teen walked off, the younger boy behind him, exiting the building and coming to a large area in the center. There was a lot of wide-open space, and he could see that several people were Dueling. "Man, Delta High was smart to make this space for everyone to hang out."

"I have heard that this school took a design cue from a school in another city… Heartland, I believe." Kuran mused. "Well, shall we start…?"

"Right away, Kuran-kun." Kohaku replied, he and Kuran moving to an open spot.

Before any of them could do anything, though, an all-too familiar voice rang out. "Found you!" Kohaku, looking annoyed, turned and saw Cleo rushing up to them.

"Took you long enough to find me, but now is not the time, Cleo-chan." Kohaku said, smiling again. "I'm about to teach Kuran-kun here how to Composition Summon."

Cleo suddenly smirked. "Oh, you are, are you?" She said, walking up to the younger boy. "A lot of good you can do…" She quickly swiped the orange Gamepad. "If he can't even Duel."

Kuran showed some emotion this time. "Give me back my Gamepad…" He said, but Cleo held him off.

"Cleo-chan, was that really necessary?" Kohaku asked. "I get that you're mad, but why take it out on Kuran-kun? I'm the one who pissed you off."

Looking back at Kuran, Cleo looked up in thought. "Hmm… all right, Yudin. You have a point." She gave Kuran back his Gamepad before looking back at Kohaku. "I had a job for you, anyway. You're helping me with my campaign to have Delta High switch to using uniforms. A little class in our dress code might help you and your ragtag friends."

Kohaku began snickering, making Cleo raise an eyebrow. "Okay, tell me WHY I should help you pass this, when I was opposed to it last year? Did you eat something rotten this morning?"

Cleo smirked. "Because, Yudin, if you don't…" She typed a few buttons on her Gamepad before turning it to him. "I'll show everyone this."

Kohaku looked closer, reading the words on the on-screen document. As he read each word, his eyes grew more and more afraid. "'This document establishes that the parties of Kohaku Yudin and Cleo Hamun are joined legally and spiritually in holy matrimony'?! What the hell?!"

"That's right, Yudin. According to this, you and I are legally married." Cleo said with a smug smirk.

"How the hell did you even get this?! We're not even 18!" Kohaku griped, in complete shock.

"I have my sources. Now, I'm sure you don't want this to get out. So, you help me win this, and I keep this a secret and not bother you about it. Deal?" Cleo asked.

Kohaku gulped. He really didn't want to help her out, but he didn't want everyone to know he was legally married before he was even 17. Looking at Kuran, he got an idea, smiling. "…Maybe there's a better way we can settle this."

"Eh?" Cleo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You want me to help you with this campaign, but I don't want to." Kohaku said. "I also told Kuran-kun that I'd teach him how to Composition Summon. So, I say we settle this by a Duel!"

"A Duel?"

"Yep. You Duel me, Cleo-chan, with Game Mode on. That way I can teach Kuran-kun about Game Cards, too." Kohaku said. "If you beat me, I'll help you out on your campaign. But if I beat you, you have to drop the campaign completely! You able to handle those odds?"

Cleo placed her fingers to her chin for a moment, then giggled with her eyes closed. "You certainly know how to make things interesting, Yudin." She opened her eyes. "So let me them more interesting by raising the stakes. If you win, not only will I drop the campaign," She held up her Gamepad. "But I'll also destroy this license."

"And if I lose?" Kohaku asked.

"If you lose, then not only will you help me win my campaign…" She leaned in close to him. "But you have to fully accept being my husband forever."

"The odds seem rather grim… I would not take this risk." Kuran told him, still emotionless.

"Trust me, pal, there's no way I'm gonna lose against her." Kohaku whispered to him before looking at Cleo confidently. "All right, Cleo-chan, you're on. Just lemme gather us a small audience." Kohaku sent out a message over his Gamepad.

_I'm Dueling in the center area. You're gonna want to see this. –Kohaku_

"They'll be here soon." Kohaku said. "Shall we start this sucker?"

"Bring it on… anata." Cleo said teasingly while walking to another spot, making Kohaku scoff, not dropping his smile. Several people in the area were interested in what was going on,

Kohaku grabbed the bill of his visor and pulled, turning the visor so it faced backwards. "It is ON!" He cried, grabbing a box-like object from his back holster. "D-Controller, switch on!" He tossed the box into the air, which converted into a wrist-worn device that clacked onto Kohaku's left wrist. On the left side of his wrist was a Deck, and on top of it was a slot for the Graveyard. On top of the Graveyard slot was a Deck holder that opened up, revealing Game Cards. Six card slots emerged from the device, and on the edge of the front-most Card Zone was a holder that opened, revealing his Extra Deck. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" Kohaku's Gamepad, which was tossed into the air, hooked on top of the Graveyard of the D-Controller, the touch screen flashing.

Cleo twirled once before throwing a gold box-like device into the air, which converted into her own D-Controller. "D-Controller, switch on!" The device clacked onto her wrist. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" She threw her Gamepad into the air, which clacked onto her wrist, the screen flashing.

A small blue device was thrown into the air, converting into a device with a clear lens. "D-Gazer, set!" Kohaku grabbed it and placed it over his left eye.

_'D-Gazers... D-Controllers evolved from D-Pads, enabling them to stay in use.'_ Kuran thought.

Cleo caught a gold-colored device with a white lens out of the air, placing it over her eye. "D-Gazer, set!"

"Hey, are we late?" Doc's voice asked. He, Plata, and Yoru were rushing toward them.

"Just in time, guys! Put on your D-Gazers to catch the show!" Kohaku said.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** A male voice stated from the system. Everyone's D-Gazers flashed (Kuran - Basic gray with blue lens; Doc – White with red lens; Plata – Green with brown lens; Yoru – Basic gray with lavender lens), as well as others that were watching. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into a different-colored space, several people that weren't watching vanishing from the reality to get them out of the way.

_'Do you have what it takes, Kohaku Yudin…?'_ Kuran thought.

Kohaku and Cleo drew 5 cards each, then looked at each other confidently. "DUEL!"

***Stat readout style: 8-bit green digits that re-arrange their pixels, appears on-screen like ZEXAL's readout***

**Kohaku LP:4000**

**Cleo LP:4000**

Kohaku went for the first draw. "Boku no turn! Draw!" He drew his card, placing it with the other five cards in his hand. "Hmm… looks like a good start here. Pixel HERO – Green Jumper, Shoukan!" From a summon portal, a figure leapt out and somersaulted in the air. It uncurled itself to reveal a human male character dressed in a green-and-blue heroic-looking outfit, a Times New Roman capital "P" on his chest that looked like it was made out of square pixels. His hands were white, and his boots were brown with wings on the back and springs on the bottoms. He wore a green cape and a green beret with wings on it, having brown hair. His eyes were bright blue, and he had black marker on his upper lip that extended from both sides slightly into his cheeks like a drawn-on mustache. He landed on the ground, bouncing twice before staying on the ground.

**Pixel HERO – Green Jumper: Lv.3 WIND Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:400**

Kuran made his way to Kohaku's friends. "Does he stand a chance with monsters like those…?"

"There's no way Koha-kun can lose against Cleo." Doc said. "His strategies are as varied as the Game Cards he collects." Kuran looked back at the Duel.

"Kaado ichi mai settei! (I place one card facedown!)" A facedown Magic or Trap Card appeared on the field. "Turn end!"

Cleo pushed her right ponytail away from her. "Atashi no turn… Draw!" She drew her card. "You haven't seen what I can do, Yudin. Behold!" She picked one of her cards. "Seikokuryū (Hieroglyph Dragon) – Aset Dragon, Shoukan!" An odd golden sphere emerged with multiple cracks, lavender-colored energy within the cracks. Then the energy shined, causing the sphere to open and convert around the energy, becoming a dragonic form with two wings, a helmet with small silver "wings", a spear-ended tail, and a symbol on his back. Two red eyes and a mouth formed on the head, then it let out a roar.

Hieroglyph Dragon – Aset Dragon: Lv.5 LIGHT Dragon ATK:1900/DEF:1200

"I thought Level 5 monsters required a monster to be released in order to be Normal Summoned." Yoru mused.

Doc tapped his Gamepad screen, bringing up an image of Aset Dragon. "According to this, Aset Dragon's effect enables it to be Normal Summoned without releasing a monster. However, its original Attack Points are reduced from 1900 to 1000."

Aset Dragon ATK:1000

"But that isn't all. By releasing Aset Dragon, I can call forth a new monster!" Aset curled back into a sphere, but the cracks changed. "Tokushu Shoukan!" The energy within changed from lavender to sky blue, then the sphere opened up again, expelling the energy. "Seikokuryū…" The energy and sphere pieces formed a new dragon, but this one had ridged wing armor, miniature wings coming from its helmet, and the symbol on its underside. "Shiyu Dragon!" Red eyes and a mouth opened on it, and it let out a roar.

Hieroglyph Dragon – Shiyu Dragon: Lv.6 LIGHT Dragon ATK:2200/DEF:1000

"*whistles* That's a pretty good combo, Cleo-chan. Why haven't I seen you Duel before?" Kohaku wondered.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you will more often once I've won." Cleo replied with a giggle. "But now, Aset Dragon no kouka hatsudo (Aset Dragon's effect activates). Since I released it, I can Special Summon a Dragon-Type Normal Monster from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard, so long as I make both its Attack and Defense Points zero." A card slid out from her Deck, which she grabbed. "Shinryū no Seikokuin (Hieroglyph Seal of the God Dragon), Tokushu Shoukan!" A bright light began to descend from above, as if it was the sun itself. However, when it reached the field, the light died down to reveal a golden sphere not unlike the others, but it was much larger, and no energy was between the cracks. On the front was the same symbol as on her other dragons, in red, resembling an eye of sorts.

Hieroglyph Seal of the God Dragon: Lv.8 LIGHT Dragon ATK:0/DEF:0 (Defense Mode)

"So… you did all that for this thing?" Kohaku wondered.

"This Seal is not as weak as it looks." Cleo told him. "But you won't find out this turn. Shiyu Dragon no kouka hatsudo. By releasing a Hieroglyph monster from my hand or field, except Shiyu itself, I can destroy one Magic or Trap Card you control." She picked a card from her hand. "I release another Shinryū no Seikokuin!" The image of a green Hieroglyph Dragon emerged and began to convert into a sphere.

Kohaku smirked. "You can't destroy what I activate! Trap Card, **Player 2 Join-In**, hatsudo! Since I only control one Pixel HERO monster, I can Special Summon another one from my hand!" A red "P1" appeared over Green Jumper's head, making him look up. Then, a blue "P2" appeared next to him in the next Monster Zone. "Pixel HERO – Angel Wing, Tokushu Shoukan!" From a portal, a new monster emerged, being a younger human male (around 15) wearing what looked like a white-and-gold chiton with a black undershirt, the same pixelated "P", colored red with gold trim, as the buckle for his belt, and brown boots with white openings. Two white feathery wings were on his back, and he had two red shoulder pads. He had no helmet, showing brown hair with a gold headband, and he had blue eyes. He landed on the floor and formed a bow from light in his right hand, then he crossed his arms and wings.

**Pixel HERO – Angel Wing: Lv.5 LIGHT Fairy ATK:1300/DEF:2200 (Defense Mode)**

"Hmm, not bad." Cleo said, the image of Usir vanishing. "Oh well, time to move in. Shiyu Dragon, attack Pixel HERO – Green Jumper!" Shiyu reared its head back before expelling light blue fire that washed over Green Jumper, causing him to explode.

**Kohaku LP:3000**

"Ngh! Not bad, Cleo-chan! I'll be looking forward to a rematch after this!" Kohaku said with a grin.

Cleo smiled. "Well, I'm honestly glad you're impressed. Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end!" A facedown emerged on Cleo's field.

"Man, Cleo got a good lead on Koha-kun." Plata said. She then looked at the golden sphere. "But what's up with that Seal thing? No lo entiendo (I don't get it)."

Then, an alarm went off. Three words appeared in the AR space, which the system spoke: **"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."**

Kuran raised an eyebrow. "I have never done this before. How does this work?"

"Each time both Duelists take a turn when Game Mode is on, a Game Card Intermission occurs." Doc told him. "During these, Koha-kun and Hamun load up to five Game Cards into their Gamepads, then one is chosen at random to be played."

Kohaku and Cleo placed their hands into a slot in the Card Zones, then they pulled their Gamepads off their D-Controllers. Kohaku swiped five cards from his Game Deck and loaded them into his Gamepad, while Cleo only loaded three (as she only had three). Images of the eight cards appeared in the AR field, the top card out of eight being highlighted. Then, the highlight moved clockwise along the circle of cards quickly before slowing down. Finally, the highlight stopped, the selected card flashing: **"SKEET SKATERS."**

"Yosh!" Kohaku said, pulling the stylus from his Gamepad.

An image of a black field with a green grid pattern and a dark blue sky appeared on the AR field. Kohaku and Cleo's D-Vatars appeared on-screen before being changed into silver jumpsuits (Kohaku with red markings and Cleo with blue markings), wearing roller skates and holding skeet rifles. **"TAP TOUCH SCREEN TO FIRE SKEET BLAST AT TARGETS. TARGET SCORES ARE AS SHOWN."** Five targets appeared on-screen: Red, green, blue, gold, and black. Each one had a score value: Red - +1, Green - +3, Blue - +5, Gold - +15, Black - -3. **"HIGHEST SCORE WINS. WINNER'S MONSTERS GAIN 800 ATTACK POINTS."** Full-face visors came down over both D-Vatars, then they turned around.

**GO!**

"It is ON!" Kohaku shouted. The two D-Vatars took off down the path, crosshairs appearing in the sky. Soon, targets began to fly in. Kohaku and Cleo began tapping on their touch screens to shoot at the targets. Kohaku's taps were faster, as he was getting most of the shots in. Soon, a gold target flew in, which Kohaku shot to gain 15 points. "Yosh!"

"Kuso…" Cleo growled, trying to keep up with Kohaku's tapping. She was losing her patience, causing her to accidentally shoot two black targets, costing her 6 points. "Shimata!"

"Not used to this, Cleo-chan?" Kohaku taunted.

"Shut up!" The girl shouted back, tapping wildly.

Eventually, the two D-Vatars reached the finish line, screeching to a stop and turning around.

**FINISH!**

They flipped up their visors, and their scores were tallied up.

**Kohaku: 76**

**Cleo: 17**

**Kohaku Wins!**

"Yatta, ha ha!" Kohaku's D-Vatar said, doing a slight break dance before taking a pose. Cleo's D-Vatar slunk to her knees, covering her face with her hands.

**"KOHAKU YUDIN'S MONSTERS GAIN 800 ATTACK POINTS."** The AR system said. Angel Wing suddenly felt stronger.

**Pixel HERO – Angel Wing ATK:2100**

The game visual cut out, ending the Intermission. The Game Cards were then ejected from the Gamepad slots, though Kohaku's Skeet Skaters had a marking on it. "What is that…?" Kuran breathed.

"Now that Koha-kun's used Skeet Skaters, he can't use it again during this Duel until all of his and Cleo's Game Cards have been used once each." Yoru explained.

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Pixel HERO – Green Jumper no kouka hatsudo!"

"Eh?" Cleo wondered. His friends all smirked.

"My Pixel HEROes work like video game characters: Until they run out of Lives, you aren't done with them! Pixel HERO – Green Jumper can be Special Summoned from my Graveyard during my Main Phase up to two times!" The green-and-blue-clad HERO emerged from nowhere, taking his position. However, a visual appeared above him, showing his face with an "x2" by it. The "2" then became a "1".

**Pixel HERO – Green Jumper: 1 "Life" Left**

"Next I switch Angel Wing to Attack Mode!" The angelic hero stood up and readied his light bow. "Pixel HERO – PK Kid, Shoukan!" This Pixel HERO looked only around the age of ten, wearing a yellow-and-blue-striped hero outfit. Odd spheres of blue energy were emanating from his hands, and he wore a helmet that resembled a red baseball cap pointed backwards, the pixelated "P" on the back of the cap (so it was facing forward).

**Pixel HERO – PK Kid: Lv.4 DARK Psychic ATK:1500/DEF:1700**

"Equip Magic, **Bit Blade**, hatsudo! This increases a Pixel HERO's Attack Points by 700!" PK Kid grabbed hold of the sword and channeled his energy through it before swiping it once.

**PK Kid ATK:2200**

"PK Kid, attack Shiyu Dragon! Psychic Pierce!" The youth leapt up and dashed at the dragon with its psychic-power-enhanced sword, which went right into Shiyu's head. However, the combined energy was unstable, causing them both to explode. "You did a good job, PK Kid. But now it's time for the others to attack! Green Jumper and Angel Wing no kouka hatsudo! Both of them have the ability to attack you directly, but for Green Jumper, the Battle Damage is halved! Jumper, you first!" The green hero squatted down before jumping sky-high. Soon, however, he came crashing straight down, landing near Cleo and causing a small explosion before hopping back to Kohaku's field.

**Cleo LP:3400**

"Angel Wing, follow up with your own direct attack!" The angelic hero stuck out his left arm, forming an arrow out of blue light and drawing it into his bow. "Fire!" The arrow was launched right past Cleo's monsters, striking Cleo right in the chest.

"Ugh!" She grunted.

**Cleo LP:1300**

"That's the way, Koha-kun! Knock that puta's block off!" Plata shouted.

Kohaku snapped his fingers with a smirk. "See what I've got under my belt, Cleo-chan? You really might want to give up now."

"With what's at stake? You wish!" Cleo retorted, slightly angry.

Kohaku sweatdropped. _'I'm scared to know whether she's talking about her campaign or the marriage license.'_ He thought. "Pixel HERO – PK Kid no kouka hatsudo! It has 2 Lives to spare for its effect!" PK Kid emerged from a Summon portal, its face appearing as a Life Icon, the "x2" becoming a "x1".

**Pixel HERO – PK Kid: 1 "Life" Left**

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" Kohaku threw down a facedown.

"Atashi no turn… Draw!" Cleo drew her card, a smile appearing on her face. "Dragorado, Shoukan!" This monster appeared as a small purple dragon with a head similar to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It was covered with black armor of sorts with white spikes, an odd red core on its chest, two red-webbed wings being part of the armor.

Dragorado: Lv.4 DARK Dragon ATK:1300/DEF:1900

"Dragorado no kouka hatsudo. When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Normal Monster with 1000 or less Attack Points from my Graveyard in Defense Mode. Shinryū no Seikokuin, Tokushu Shoukan!" The core on Dragorado's chest opened up, firing a small ball of red energy that sailed around in the air before impacting the ground, forming a Summon portal that an identical copy of the Seal on her field.

Hieroglyph Seal of the God Dragon: Lv.8 LIGHT Dragon ATK:0/DEF:0 (Defense Mode)

"Another Seal? You realize that those things don't have any points, right?" Kohaku pointed out.

Cleo giggled eerily. "Just because they have no Attack or Defense Points doesn't make them useless… That's not what my Hieroglyphs are all about! Watch this!" She thrust a hand to the air. "Atashi wa Reberu Hachi no Shinryū no Seikokuin ni tai de… Obarei (I Overlay my two Level 8 Hieroglyph Seals of the God Dragon)!" The two golden spheres became two orbs of yellow energy before streaking into the air, spiraling around each other. A red spiral portal opened up in front of Cleo, and the two streaks sailed inside. "Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku (With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay Network)! Ekushiizu Shoukan (Xyz Summon)!" From the portal, a Hieroglyph Seal of the God Dragon emerged, floating into the air, but this time, red energy was moving along the cracks. The energy glowed, and the sphere opened, causing the red energy to take shape. "Arawareyo (Come forth)!" The plating of the gold sphere became various armored plates across the body, but the body became much larger than Cleo's other monsters. Wing armor formed from some of the pieces, flaring out energy into wings that were yellow at the armor and became orange as they flared out. "Seikoku Shinryū (Hieroglyph God Dragon)…" The head formed from the energy, the helm sporting the Hieroglyph symbol. The large dragon curled its joints before extending its body with a loud roar, two yellow orbs orbiting it with streaks of yellow light. "Ennead!"

Hieroglyph God Dragon – Ennead: Rank 8 LIGHT Dragon/Xyz ATK:3000/DEF:2400 2 Overlay Units

Kuran seemed impressed despite his emotionless look. "Is that the Composition Summon…?" He asked.

"Close. That was an Xyz Summon." Doc explained. "By Overlaying two monsters of the same Level, she was able to Summon a stronger one with an equal Rank."

"Impressive, don't you think, Yudin?" Cleo asked, her eyes closed. "My Seals have no points, but they hold the soul of this divine dragon." All of a sudden, she heard loud laughter. Opening her eyes, she saw Kohaku laughing his head off, which made Cleo angry. "What is so funny?!"

Kohaku tried to calm himself down, at least so he could speak. "Oh my god… You use freaking Xyz Monsters?!" He said, still laughing. "Man, you are behind the times! No one uses Xyz Monsters anymore, hahahaha!"

"Uh… Koha-kun?" Yoru asked. "I don't think you should be saying that while staring down a monster with 3000 Attack Points…!"

The Yudin boy finally managed to calm down. "Hah… I'm sorry, but now I have another reason not to take you seriously, Cleo-chan. Get with the program: It's all about Composition Monsters now!"

Cleo had a tic mark. "I'll teach you to disrespect my Deck, Yudin! Seikoku Shinryū – Ennead no kouka hatsudo! By using one of Ennead's Overlay Units, I can activate its effect!" One of the yellow orbs floated near Ennead's head, then it chomped down on the orb.

Ennead: 1 Overlay Unit

"Now, by releasing any number of monsters from my field or my hand, I can destroy the same number of cards you control!" Cleo picked a card from her hand. "I release Dragorado from my field and Seikokuryū – Nephthe Dragon from my hand!" The image of another Hieroglyph Dragon, this one looking very similar to Aset Dragon only with larger gold "wings" on the helmet instead of small silver "wings" appeared before curling into its sphere form. Dragorado let out a small roar and leapt into the sky next to the image, glowing purple. Then, the image and Dragorado turned into fireballs that shot toward Kohaku's field, obliterating PK Kid and Angel Wing, taking Bit Blade with it.

"Kuso!" Kohaku grunted.

"Nephthe Dragon no kouka hatsudo. Since it was released, I can Special Summon another Shinryū no Seikokuin from my Deck!" A third golden orb formed on her field.

Hieroglyph Seal of the God Dragon: Lv.8 LIGHT Dragon ATK:0/DEF:0 (Defense Mode)

"Now, Ennead! Attack Pixel HERO – Green Jumper! Divine Solar Flare!" The large red dragon beat its fists together, powerful light converging into them to form a powerful fireball in them. "GO!" With a powerful roar, Ennead threw the fireball at the green HERO.

Kohaku went to flip his facedown. "Trap Card-"

"Oh no, you don't! Counter Trap, Hansha no Seikokuin (Hieroglyphic Seal of Reflection), hatsudo! By releasing Shinryū no Seikokuin, I can negate the activation of your Trap Card and destroy it!" The golden sphere rose up before shooting down in golden fire, striking and destroying the facedown.

"Oh, crud!" Kohaku cried. The fireball from Ennead stayed on course, obliterating Green Jumper. "Gwaaaaah!" Kohaku cried, being thrown back from the force of the attack, landing on his rear.

**Kohaku LP:1200**

"Ouch…" Doc, Plata, and Yoru said at the same time. Kuran merely looked on emotionlessly.

"Dang… what power." Kohaku said, picking himself up with a grin. "Xyz Monsters are old news nowadays… but I guess they can still kick it with the best of 'em!"

"That's why you shouldn't underestimate what they can do, Yudin." Cleo said with a smirk. "Turn end!"

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. Kohaku loaded five new Game Cards into his Gamepad while Cleo reloaded her three. The cards appeared on-screen and were cycled through before stopping on one. **"LEVEL CRANE."**

"A 1-Player Bonus Card." Yoru said. "Hopefully the chooser lands on Koha-kun." An arrow began to rapidly flash back and forth above the two Duelists, eventually slowing in pace.

Finally, the arrow stopped above Kohaku, flashing. "Yatta!" Kohaku chirped.

An image of an old crane game appeared on the AR field, and Kohaku's D-Vatar appeared on-screen, running to the controls, the camera panning to be on the other side of the controls.** "MOVE CONTROL STICK TO MOVE CRANE AND PRESS A BUTTON TO LOWER CRANE. IF AN ITEM IS GRABBED, RAPIDLY PRESS A BUTTON TO HOLD ONTO ITEM. IF THE ITEM IS SUCCESSFULLY ACQUIRED, THE PLAYER WINS AND MAY ADD 1 MONSTER WITH A LEVEL TO OR LESS THAN THE NUMBER ON THE ITEM."** Kohaku readied himself on his Gamepad as his D-Vatar grabbed the controls.

**GO!**

"It is ON!" Kohaku moved the Control Stick, causing the crane to move left and right. "Position it right… here!" He hit the A Button, causing the crane to lower into the prizes, sinking it. Soon, the crane came out holding a circular object with a "4" on it. "Just what I needed!" Kohaku began hammering the A Button with his finger as the crane swung, the "4" object threatening to slip from the crane's grasp. However, the crane made it to the other side, dropping the object down the slot.

**FINISH!**

The camera panned back around to the front as Kohaku's D-Vatar turned around, and the object tumbled into the prize area, floating into the air above the D-Vatar with the "4" facing forward, which began jumping with a closed-eye smile. **"KOHAKU YUDIN CAN ADD 1 LEVEL 4 OR BELOW MONSTER FROM HIS DECK TO HIS HAND."**

"And I've got just the one in mind." Kohaku said, a card sliding out from his Deck, which he grabbed. The gaming field cut out, and the players ejected their Game Cards. "Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Cleo-chan, this was a good Duel, and I admit, your Xyz Monster is pretty cool… but it's high time I showed off what I can do!"

"Here it comes!" Doc, Plata, and Yoru said at once. Kuran looked on.

"Pixel HERO – Red Hammer… Shoukan!" A new HERO monster emerged, though this one looked very similar to Green Jumper, only with a few differences: He wore red in place of green, his boots lacked the wings and springs, he lacked the cape, and the beret lacked the wings. However, he was more muscular than the green HERO, and the mustache-esque markings looked more like ripples. The pixelated "P" was still on the chest, but he hefted something from a fireball: A large black hammer with a wooden handle. He slammed the hammer's handle on the ground, the hammer to his right.

**Pixel HERO – Red Hammer: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior/Base ATK:1600/DEF:1400**

Kuran looked slightly confused. "Base Monster…?"

"Take note, Kuran-kun: A Base Monster is important! You need one in order to perform a Composition Summon!" Kohaku explained. "If you have a Base Monster on your field, I can Synergize it with monsters in my Graveyard, combining their souls to form a Composition Monster that has a Quality equal to the Base Monster's Level!"

"A Summon with monsters in the Graveyard…" Kuran breathed.

Kohaku snapped his fingers, and Red Hammer gave a whistle. Then, from purple portals, PK Kid, Green Jumped, and Angel Wing emerged. Red Hammer turned to them and gave a thumbs-up, which the other three HEROes returned. "Boku wa, Green Jumped, PK Kid, Angel Wing to, Reberu Yon no Red Hammer de… Shinajaizu (I Synergize Green Jumper, PK Kid, Angel Wing, and Level 4 Red Hammer)!" The four HEROes formed a circle and placed their hands in the center, each one's hands glowing a color that matched their Attribute (Jumper – green, Angel – yellow, PK – purple, Hammer – red). Then, an energy ball began to form in the center of their hands, being tye-dye of their Attribute colors. All the while, Kohaku was chanting: "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! (By merging these four souls, a stronger new soul shall be born!)" When the energy ball grew larger, the four monsters jumped straight backward and let out a shout while thrusting their hands to the sky. Then, all four of them changed shaped, transforming into small thin towers that each held an odd white crystal on top. The crystals then fired red lightning at the energy ball, causing it to grow and change shape, forming a humanoid shape. Kohaku whipped out and held out a card with a bright red border, having four blue Level Stars with white circles in the center of the card underneath the name. "Kōzu Shoukan (Composition Summon)!" He said as the card glowed. Then, the shape burst into flame, and a large arm shot through the flames, being fully clad in white, a ridged ring indicating the wrist. Blue eyes shot open from the flames, then the whole form knelt down before jumping sky-high, shaking off the flames, the red lightning following it. It came back down and landed on the ground, showing the rest of its body: A large human male, its main color being white, but the torso and legs were also clad in red, similar in construction to Red Hammer and Green Jumper, right down to the brown boots and the pixelated "P" on the chest. "Pixel HERO…" Rather than mustache-like markings, this HERO had an actual mustache, though it was orange, and he wore a white helmet instead of a beret over his hair, which was also orange instead of brown. Holding his hands in front of them, fire burst into his hands. "Red Blazer!" The large HERO waved its flaming hands around before dispelling the flames and striking a peace sign, flames erupting behind him, the red lightning still connected to him from the towers around him.

**Pixel HERO – Red Blazer: Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition ATK:2500/DEF:2000 4 Active Soul Towers**

Kuran let out a breath. "So this is… the Composition Summon…"

"That's right, Kuran-kun." Kohaku said. "The Composition Monster is a literal composition of the souls of the monsters that made it, hence the four crystals around it. Those are Soul Towers, and they come in two states: "Active" and "Inactive". Since I just Summoned Red Blazer, all of its Soul Towers are Active, which you can see by the white color and the lightning coming off of them." He showed his D-Controller spaces, which had the four Materials in a slot in the front of Red Blazer's Zone. "The Soul Towers go in these slots in the front."

"Would you mind getting on with your turn, Yudin?" Cleo asked, impatient.

Kohaku merely smirked. "Would you mind showing a little patience for a newcomer to Composition Monsters? There's plenty of others out there who don't know about these cards." He flashed a discreet glance to the camera before looking back at Cleo. "But if you insist! Magic Card, **Synergized Strength**, hatsudo! This card gives a Composition Monster that was Summoned this turn 300 Attack Points for each Active Soul Tower it has!" The red lightning from the Soul Towers surged, giving Red Blazer more power.

**Red Blazer ATK:3700**

"Nani?" Cleo gasped.

"Pixel HERO – Red Blazer no kouka hatsudo! Once per turn during my Main Phase, Red Blazer can destroy one face-up monster you control that has less Attack Points than he does!" Blazer's hands caught ablaze. "Go, Red Fireball!" With a thrust of his hand, Blazer fired a large bouncing fireball that shot up and struck Ennead in the chest, catching its whole body on fire.

"Ennead!" Cleo cried. The massive dragon roared in pain before its energy body staticed into nothing, the armor pieces exploding.

"So sorry about that, Cleo-chan. But I'm afraid this Duel is over!" Kohaku said. "Pixel HERO – Red Blazer, attack Cleo-chan directly! Burning Red Finisher!" The large HERO waved his burning hands around before bringing them together by his side. Then, with a battle yell, he thrust his hands forward, unleashing two red fireballs that spiraled around each other bolo-style, trails of fire spinning behind them.

The twin fireballs barreled toward Cleo and struck the ground hard, causing a powerful explosion. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!" She screamed as she was flung back, landing hard on the ground.

**Kohaku LP:1200**

**Cleo LP:0 – LOSER**

Kohaku's picture appeared in the AR space with the word "WIN", and a buzzer sounded. "Duel Clear!" Kohaku said with a peace sign.

"Way to go, Koha-kun!" Doc said.

"You showed her who's boss!" Plata cheered.

"Sweet Duel!" Yoru said.

Kuran was silent, though he allowed himself a small smile. _'…Perhaps he is the one I'm searching for…'_

Kohaku walked up to Cleo as she was getting up, holding out a hand. "Nice Duel, Cleo-chan." Cleo glared at him, but accepted his hand, letting him help her up. "A deal's a deal. Drop your campaign and rip up that license."

"'License'?" Doc, Plata, and Yoru asked at once.

Cleo sighed. "Fine." Pulling up her Gamepad, she brought up the marriage license and drew a zigzag along it with her stylus. When she lifted the stylus, the license was ripped in two and deleted.

"Uh, Koha-kun? What 'license' were you talking about?" Yoru asked.

"Don't worry about it. It was fake, anyway." Cleo said, turning to walk away.

"EH?!" Kohaku gasped. "You tricked me with a fake marriage license?" His friends gaped at him.

Cleo smirked back at him. "Some people will do anything to get what they want. But I know when I'm beat." She looked forward and gave a gesture. "See you tomorrow in homeroom, everyone." She walked off without another word.

Kohaku crossed his arms. "Do you guys think we'll ever understand her?" Doc, Plata, and Yoru all shook their heads.

Kuran then walked up to Kohaku. "Your skills were impressive… Thank you for showing me how to perform a Composition Summon… Perhaps I can make it from here."

"No problem, Kuran-kun." Kohaku said, shaking Kuran's hand when he held it out. However, when Kuran pulled his hand back, there was an odd card in Kohaku's hand. It called itself a Game Card, but it was silver-bordered instead of burnt orange. "Nani…?"

"It was something I found not too long ago… Maybe you'd want it." Kuran said. "Ja ne, Kohaku-kun…" The boy walked off in a creepy fashion.

"Who is that guy?" Doc wondered.

"I don't know, man…" Kohaku breathed, looking at the odd silver card. It had no name and no words aside from the Game Card Attribute symbol. He smiled. "But I've got a feeling that this school year is gonna be awesome." His friends smiled at him as he put away the card. Kohaku grinned and leapt into the air, his fist held high. "It is ON!"

* * *

***Ending Song: Continue* *Melody: Ghost Rider's theme from Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, ends at 1:24***

_***7 second music*** (Kohaku's D-Controller unravels and hooks onto his wrist. The Card Zones extend, and Kohaku inserts his Deck. Then he places his Gamepad on the D-Controller, shows it off, then runs into the foreground with a determined look.)_

_**I will not lie down, roll over** (Kohaku in a duel, Composition Summoning Pixel HERO - Red Blazer.)_  
_***3 second music*** (Camera pans to show a shadowed figure with a large dragon monster.)_  
_**I will not just let it by** (Kohaku orders an attack on the monster, and Red Blazer runs towards it.)_  
_***3 second music*** (The monster attacks Red Blazer, but misses, and Blazer unleashes his attack.)_

_**I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh** (Kohaku running to the foreground as multiple imposing silhouettes appear around him.)_  
_**You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero** (Kohaku stops running while face-to-face with a large floating monster, a fearful look on his face. A large eye opens on the monster, and an attack is fired.)_

_**I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now** (Kohaku lays spread-eagle on the ground as the camera spirals and zooms in on him, images fading in and out like memories, then his eyes snap open.)_  
_**With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down** (Kohaku sits up and looks behind him, seeing the Pixel HEROes appear and show their support for him, making him smile)_  
_**Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow** (Kohaku stands up to see the othr silhouettes, standing in front of him, now accompanied by monster silhouettes. However, a green aura begins to surround Kohaku.)_  
_**There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now** (Kohaku, determined, draws a card with a yell, causing a bright flash of light)_

_**10…** (Kohaku is walking forward in a dark area, a light in the horizon behind him, casting a shadow.)_  
_**9…** (An image of Doc placing his headband on his head with a determined look is seen, and Doc joins Kohaku.)_  
_**8…** (An image of Plata readying a blow torch appears, then she joins Kohaku.)_  
_**7…** (An image of Yoru waking up with a determined look appears, then he joins Kohaku.)_  
**_6…_**  
**_5…_**  
**_4…_**  
**_3…_**  
**_2…_**  
_**1…** (From 6 through 1, silhouetted images appear, and no one else joins Kohaku's group.)_  
_**0…** (Kohaku and the group stops, and the light fades out, making the screen fade to black.)_

* * *

*Preview*

Kohaku: School's finally in at Delta High, and things look great… Huh? A camera? Am I on TV?

?: Who needs TV when you can go viral? I can see this video getting millions of hits!

Kohaku: Millions of hits… I'm thinking I might've just found a new friend to add to the party!

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Doorman Dizzy, the Hit Video Hunter!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Pixel HERO - Green Jumper  
Level 3 WIND Warrior  
ATK:1200/DEF:400  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used twice: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. This card can attack your opponent directly. When it does so using this effect, all Battle Damage it inflicts to your opponent is halved.

Pixel HERO - Angel Wing  
Level 5 LIGHT Fairy  
ATK:1300/DEF:2200  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used 4 times: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. This card can attack your opponent directly. If this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, except from a direct attack by its own effect: You gain Life Points equal to the damage inflicted.

Pixel HERO - PK Kid  
Level 4 DARK Psychic  
ATK:1500/DEF:1700  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used twice: Banish it. Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle and you would take Battle Damage: It is not destroyed, you take no Battle Damage, and you gain Life Points equal to the damage you would've taken.

Pixel HERO - Red Hammer  
Level 4 FIRE Warrior/Base  
ATK:1600/DEF:1400  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used twice: Banish it. When this card battles: The opposing monster loses 500 ATK during the Damage Step.

Pixel HERO - Red Blazer  
Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition  
ATK:2500/DEF:2000  
"Pixel HERO - Red Hammer" (must be Level 4) + 3 or more monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can destroy 1 monster your opponent controls with less ATK than this card. Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials instead. If you use this effect, at the end of the Battle Phase: Negate this card's effects until your next End Phase.

Bit Blade  
Equip Spell Card  
Equip only to a "Pixel HERO" monster: It gains 700 ATK.

Synergized Strength  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 Composition Monster that was Composition Summoned this turn: It gains 300 ATK for each of its active Composition Materials until the End Phase.

Player 2 Join-In  
Normal Trap Card  
Activate only while you control exactly 1 "Pixel HERO" monster. Special Summon 1 "Pixel HERO" monster from your hand.

Skeet Skaters  
2-Player VS Game Card  
Tap Gamepad touch screen to fire skeet rifle. The player with the most points at the finish line wins, and all monsters they control gain 800 ATK.  
Target Scores:  
Red Target - 1 point  
Blue Target - 3 points  
Green Target - 5 points  
Gold Target - 15 points  
Black Target - -3 points

Level Crane  
1-Player Bonus Game Card  
Move Control Stick to move crane and press A Button to drop crane into prize bin. If a prize is grabbed, rapidly press A Button to keep hold of the prize. If the prize is dropped into the giveout bin, the selected player wins and can add 1 monster with a Level equal to or less than the number on the received prize.

* * *

**Vile: Whoof! I didn't expect one chapter to take this many words in it. Then again, most of my Numbershots are meant to be one whole episode, so I shouldn't be surprised. XD Anyhoo, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! I hope GSTART can grow into a great fic, but remember: We're only in Season 1 right now! Until next chapter, ja ne!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	2. Level 002

**Vile: Hey, everybody, Vile here again! Sorry for the delay between this chapter and the last, but it least it wasn't a full month like Numbershot 1. I've been told by a few people that I should probably go into more details with my Composition Monsters and Game Cards. Well, I'd give you links, but the document manager is preventing the links, so I'll just say this: I have pages for them on the YCM Wikia, so check that site to get details. Watch where you search, though, if you don't want spoilers.**

**On another note, this chapter is around the standard chapter size, not the last one. Anyhoo, disclaimer was on the last chapter, any bolded cards are mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 002: Doorman Dizzy, the Hit Video Hunter!

*Yudin House* *11:00 PM*

Kohaku laid back in his bed, the moon shining in from his window. He was looking at the silver card with a skeptical look. _'What is up with this thing? No words, no title, all it says is that it's a Game Card. Kuran-kun, where did you find this weird thing…?'_ He let out a breath. _'I shouldn't stay up so late worrying about this thing. I've got school tomorrow.'_ Kohaku placed the card on his nightstand and laid his head on the pillow, closing his eyes.

*Kohaku's Dream*

Kohaku's eyes opened, finding himself on solid ground. "Huh…?" He looked around, back and forth. There was nothing else around; Only blackness. "Where… where am I?" Then he noticed something ahead of him: Eight circles positioned in a straight line in front of him. Floating above each circle was what looked like a light blue triangle-shaped object. They were all paper-thin, and each one was oriented differently, making them seem like pieces of something. "What… are those?" He then looked down, seeing a yellow circle glowing at his feet. Then, a line of light drew itself from the circle under his feet to the first circle, making it turn blue. It looked like a path. "Whoa…" His vision then went white.

*End Dream*

"Wake up, Onii-chan/Kohaku-nii!" Two young voices called out before Kohaku suddenly felt pressure on his body, causing his eyes to shoot open.

"Uwah!" He cried, sitting straight up in shock. He heard two voices laughing and couldn't help but smile as his vision focused on two forms sitting on his bed. One was an eight-and-a-half-year girl with hair of the same red as Kohaku's fringe styled in a bowl cut with longer hair in the back, bright blue eyes, and wearing pink pajamas. The other was a boy of the exact same age, having thick cobalt blue hair (like Kohaku's back spikes) in slicked back spikes, the same cyberspace green eyes as Kohaku, and wearing purple pajamas. Kohaku saw the clock: 7:00. "Well, that was an interesting wake-up." He smirked. "Whose idea was it?"

"It was Kinoko-nee-chan's idea!" The young boy said, pointing at her.

"No it wasn't! Sokudo-nii-chan thought it up!" The girl said, pointing right back at the boy. The kids looked at each other with annoyance.

Their annoyance, however, quickly faded when Kohaku placed his hands on their heads with a laugh. "Relax, guys, I'm not mad." He said. Kinoko and Sokudo laughed sheepishly at their big brother.

Then Sokudo looked over at Kohaku's nightstand, catching sight of the silver-bordered card. "What's that card, Kohaku-nii?"

"I don't know. Some kid gave it to me yesterday, but it's blank." Kohaku said, grabbing it. "I don't get what's it's f- Nani? There's words on it now!" Kinoko and Sokudo moved to see what was on the card. There was still no title, but the lore box had a riddle that Kohaku read aloud:

**_This card you hold is not just_**  
**_a slip of paper for Duel Disk's bust_**  
**_My riddles, I give to you, Yudin_**  
**_Solve them to find the prizes within_**  
**_Challenges wait to test your might_**  
**_In groups of eight, a number just right_**  
**_Eight groups, my Worlds, they'll be so fun_**  
**_Behold the riddle for World 1-1._**

"What do you think it means, Onii-chan?" Kinoko asked. Kohaku was about to answer, but the card suddenly began to glow, and the words in the box changed.

**_To start this game, this is the gist_**  
**_Stand against red wind with the force of fist_**  
**_Attack with red fire, hotter than the sun_**  
**_And you'll enter the challenge called 1-1._**

"Freaky…" Sokudo breathed.

"I've got a feeling that I'm gonna find out what this is about pretty soon." Kohaku said. "But I'm not gonna figure it out sitting down on my bed." He smiled at his two siblings. "Who's up for some breakfast?"

"Breakfast!" The two of them cheered, hopping off Kohaku's bed and rushing downstairs, leaving their older brother behind.

Kohaku shook his head in amusement. "Twins." Shrugging, Kohaku got up to take a quick shower.

*Ten Minutes Later*

Kohaku walked downstairs to find Kinoko and Sokudo at the table eating breakfast. There was a woman in the kitchen, having long blond hair with some red streaks in it and bright blue eyes, watching the Yudin twins with a smile. She noticed Kohaku, her smile not faltering. "Ohayo (Good morning), Kohaku."

"Ohayo, Kaa-chan." Kohaku said, yawning. He took a seat at the table, and a plate was placed in front of him. "Itadakimasu!" He dug into his food, eating with a content smile. It didn't take him long to finish his food, as he was hungry.

The Yudins then heard a noise from upstairs: A small coo. "Hakaimo." Kinoko and Sokudo said together.

"I'll get her. I left my D-Controller upstairs, anyway." Kohaku said, getting up from the table. His mother took the dishes from the table as he made his way back upstairs. Swiping his D-Controller from his room and placing it on his holster, Kohaku went into a nearby room. There was a purple crib in the room, and the cooing was coming from it. He walked over and looked in, seeing a seven-month-old baby girl in the crib. She had a small amount of brown-and-blonde hair on her head, but her eyes were closed, and she was wearing blue footy pajamas. "Ohayo, Hakaimo." The baby's eyes fluttered open, showing the same bright blue color as Kinoko and the Yudin mother. She gave a goofy baby smile when she saw him, and Kohaku picked her up out of her crib, walking downstairs, the baby grabbing at and missing his hair while making baby noises.

When Kohaku made it downstairs, Kinoko and Sokudo rushed right up to him. Hakaimo smiled at the twins, and Sokudo took her from Kohaku. Kinoko tried to get really close to the baby, but Sokudo backed off. "Easy, Kinoko! You might get your germs on Hakaimo."

"What germs? I don't have any germs!" Kinoko said, annoyed.

Kohaku just laughed at them. "Well, I'm gonna head out. I'm gonna see if I can meet up with my friends early. See ya!" He said, heading for the door.

"See ya, Onii-chan/Kohaku-nii!" The twins said, their bickering already over.

"Have a good first day, Kohaku!" His mother said. Kohaku flashed a peace sign before heading out the door, ready to start the junior year at Delta High.

*Meanwhile* *Delta High*

Something scanned across the Delta High entrance, zooming out to reveal that it was a video camera. "Delta High. My new school, and from what I've heard, way more exciting than the schools in the Beta District." A voice said. The camera suddenly turned to face a fully chocolate brown image, but the camera zoomed out, showing it to be a very wrinkled tank top. The image was zoomed out so that the person, male, was seen wearing dark red pants with a chain coming out of the right pocket. "I sense a treasure trove of hit footage here." The camera was moved up, seeing gray elbow-length gloves on his arms. The camera finally reached his head: The holder was 17, having orange eyes, wind-whipped gray hair, and an eerie smile. His build seemed slightly larger than most 17-year-olds. "It's a new edition of Dizzy's Doorway to Viralocity, folks. Doorman Dizzy speaking live, so let's see if we can get something for you guys to pass around like a hot potato, heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!" The boy's eyes crossed slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

**_(A/N: Ren "Dizzy" Naginata Voice Actor: Tom Kenny, as a 17-year-old Raimundo Pedrosa from Xiaolin Showdown)_**

"Let's move in, folks." Dizzy said, walking into the school building. His camera was attached to a black Gamepad through a small cable, playing the video footage on the Gamepad screen while it was recording. He panned the camera around the halls, trying to find good footage. "Hmm… Looks like the pickings are getting slow nowadays."

"L-Let me go!" A voice was heard. Dizzy quickly turned around, panning the camera to focus on a male student who was trying to swipe another boy's Gamepad.

Dizzy smiled eerily. "…Maybe not, folks." He saw another student next to him, watching him. "Hey, buddy, hold these and point the camera at me."

"Uh… OK." The student said, taking Dizzy's Gamepad and camera.

Dizzy looked into the camera with his smile. "Looks like you guys will get a good treat: A jackass beatdown on the first day of school!" He turned around and walked toward the aggressor student. "Hey, buddy, lay off!"

The aggressor snapped his head to Dizzy. "Mind your own business!" He yelled.

Dizzy's eyes crossed. "You shouldn't have said that…" He jumped forward and pushed the aggressor away, leaping after him. "Watch my Super Spinner Punch!" Positioning himself on one foot with his eyes crossed, Dizzy quickly spun a full 360 before socking the aggressor with his right fist. However, by switching between which foot he was on, Dizzy performed four more spin punches, the final one sending the aggressor halfway across the room to the floor. The students around were agape at what had just happened, but Dizzy merely stood back on two feet and grinned. "That's what people who do bad crap get, folks!" He turned around and walked back to the student who had his gear. "They get a beatdown from me…" He took his gear back and looked into the camera. "…and end up on Dizzy's Doorway." He finished with a wink.

* * *

**_*8 second intro*_**

**_Don't give up the fight! Play on!  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

**_*rest*_**

**_With every step you take you grow  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

**_Level yourself up, and you can make it through  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on) (One of the silhouettes is revealed to be Cleo Hamun, with Hieroglyph God Dragon – Ennead next to her)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

**_It is ON!_**

* * *

Doc was waiting outside Delta High's building, checking the time on his Gamepad. "7:40. They should've been here by now."

"WAHOO!" Kohaku's voice suddenly yelled. Doc whipped around to see Kohaku jumping off a nearby rock toward Delta High's flagpole, grabbing hold of the side of the rope that didn't have the flag. "Comin' down!" Kohaku slowly descended, pulling the rope down while raising the flag at the same time, all with a big grin on his face. When he reached the bottom, he kept his arm in motion so the flag was fully hoisted to the top of the flagpole, then he flashed a victory sign, keeping his grin.

Doc was smiling at him. "I don't know how, Koha-kun, but you do that perfectly every time." He said as Kohaku walked up and high-fived him.

"Cut and print! I got that whole stunt on video!" A voice said. Kohaku and Doc turned around to see the gray-haired boy with the video camera walking up to them.

"Wait, you were recording that?" Kohaku asked, pointing back at the flagpole.

"Heck yeah! First time I've seen anyone do that kind of thing!" The boy said. "I can see this video going viral within days, ha ha!"

Kohaku smirked. "Viral videos, huh? Well, if you ever want to try something else to get hits, maybe I could be of help!"

The gray-haired boy grinned. "I'll have to take you up on that!" Then his Gamepad started beeping, which he checked. "Oh, crap! Sorry dude, but I gotta run! See ya!" He quickly dashed into the school building, but his foot stumbled by stepping on a rock. He was about to fall, but he quickly hopped off that foot and did a spin in the air, landing on both on his feet before continuing on.

Doc whistled at that. "Not bad. Quite coordinated." Kohaku nodded.

At that time, Plata and Yoru caught up to them. "Who was that guy?" Yoru asked.

"Don't know. He never gave us his name, but he filmed my flagpole jump." Kohaku said with a smirk. "Come on, let's go inside." The four friends walked into the building, finding the hallways clamoring with the students. A smile came across Kohaku's face. "Well, gang, it's a new year, new faces, and hopefully new challenges. What should we do first?"

"I say we just head to homeroom. I had a rough night." Yoru said, yawning.

"Rough night, or narcolepsy kicking in?" Plata teased.

Another yawn came from Yoru. "Probably both."

Kohaku shrugged. "Maybe we should. If we're lucky, he'll fall asleep during one of Cleo-chan's speeches." The group laughed before heading toward their homeroom.

However, while upstairs, another student slammed into Doc. "Oof!" Both students grunted, backing off. The student that hit Doc appeared to be a sophomore, having short blue hair and gold eyes. He was wearing a pink shirt with yellow sleeves, jeans, and yellow shoes. He appeared scared.

Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "Kowa-kun? What's got you all jittery?"

Kowa's face popped up to him. "K-Kohaku! I'm s-scared that he'll beat me up n-next!"

"Who?" Kohaku asked.

"H-He called himself… D-Dizzy." Kowa explained. "He's strong… He beat the crap out of a student not even ten minutes ago! And he even r-recorded it!"

Kohaku's friends looked at each other in confusion. "…Should we be worried?" Doc asked.

"Nah. Until we see this 'Dizzy' in action, why should we care?" Plata said, not even fazed.

Kowa looked worried, but Kohaku ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about a thing, Kowa-kun. If Dizzy goes rogue again, just make sure to tell someone. He doesn't know you."

"O-Okay." Kowa said weakly before walking away. Kohaku crossed his arms while watching him leave.

Doc checked his Gamepad. "7:47. Let's head to homeroom."

"Okay, all business." Kohaku said, teasing slightly. The four friends walked to Room 307 and went inside. Several students were already inside, Cleo being one of them. The middle four-seater table was open, so the four of them took the seats: Yoru, Kohaku, Doc, and Plata, in that order from left to right while looking at it from the teacher's desk. "Let's jack into the class network and see what everyone's doing." The four friends pulled out their Gamepads, their D-Vatars entering some type of network map. Kohaku's D-Vatar ran across the path to a network that said "307", and a portal opened, which it jumped into, landing into a green network area with a bunch of D-Vatars already there. Doc, Plata, and Yoru's D-Vatars landed in soon after, and they scattered, moving around in the network. Kohaku's D-Vatar walked up to Cleo's D-Vatar and waved at her, getting a return wave and a smile.

"If only real-life interactions could go as smoothly as D-Vatar interactions." Doc mused, watching his D-Vatar interact with other D-Vatars. Plata's D-Vatar suddenly knocked it over the head and made a laughing motion, though only squeaking came from it. Doc's D-Vatar rubbed the back of its head, but kept a smirk.

Meanwhile, Cleo's D-Vatar saw Yoru's D-Vatar on the ground, so it moved over and poked it on the head, making it wake up. "Even his D-Vatar is narcoleptic." Cleo mused, sitting at the front-left (teacher view) table. Yoru moved his eyes upward with an innocent smile.

*8:04*

"And so, even though my campaign to institute school uniforms failed again, I feel that as your Homeroom President, I can still try and upgrade the quality of this class." Cleo said, in front of the class. Many of the students were listening, but a certain group of four was not. As Cleo continued, all of a sudden, a loud THUMP was heard, making her stop. "Eh?" Loud snoring tipped her off, as she looked angrily at Yoru, who was snoring away. Kohaku, Doc, Plata, and a couple other students were snickering loudly. "Mezameru!" The narcoleptic boy snorted as he slowly woke himself up, smacking his lips. "Try to control your narcolepsy, please."

"Huh? Oh, that wasn't me. Your speech was just boring." Yoru said innocently. His friends immediately cracked up and started laughing, as did a lot of the students in the classroom.

Cleo was not happy. "Why do I even bother with this…?" She wondered, returning to her seat with a hand under her chin.

"Okay, okay, everyone, that was a good laugh, but try to understand that Miss Hamun does genuinely want the best for the class." The teacher, a man, said. Kohaku's hand went up. "Yes, Kohaku Yudin?"

"We know she wants best, Takamine-sensei. We're just having a little fun!" Kohaku said. "Even a Class President needs to loosen up once in a while." He looked at Cleo and gave a thumbs-up. Cleo merely looked at him for a couple seconds, then gave a small smile. "See? She gets it." The teacher nodded in understanding and decided to start the lesson.

A message popped up on Kohaku's D-Controller after a few minutes. _"Is making fun of me just a game to you? -Cleo"_

Kohaku smiled as he typed a response. _"Making fun of anyone is a game to me. I never mean anything. –Kohaku"_

Kohaku immediately felt like he said something wrong, but Cleo's response cured that feeling. _"I guess I shouldn't have trusted my first impression of you. –Cleo"_ The tri-color-haired boy looked at Cleo, who had a small genuine smile, making Kohaku smile back.

*After First Period*

"Are you some kind of peacemaker, Koha-kun?" Yoru asked as the four of them left class. "I saw what you were saying to Hamun."

"What can I say? I don't like it when people stay mad." Kohaku said honestly, still smiling.

*Third Period*

Kohaku took a seat in his classroom, looking rather bummed. None of his other friends were in this class, so he was on his own. It was also a Science class: Not his forte. "Man… I hope this class goes by quick."

"Hey, whaddya know?" A familiar voice said. Kohaku's eyes widened as he looked to his side, seeing a familiar face sit down next to him: The gray-haired, orange-eyed boy with the video camera.

Kohaku perked up. "Hey! You're that guy that videotaped my flagpole jump!"

"You know it. I never got your name earlier, man!" The boy said.

Kohaku held out his hand. "Kohaku Yudin, resident Game Card expert!"

Dizzy shook it. "Ren Naginata, AKA Dizzy of Dizzy's Doorway to Viralocity!"

Kohaku did a double-take with wide eyes. "Wait a minute… YOU'RE Dizzy?"

"Oh, so you know me from my website." Dizzy assumed.

"Website? I heard about you beating the crap out of some student earlier today!" Kohaku said.

"Oh, him?" Dizzy asked, his eyes crossing slightly. "He was trying to swipe some kid's Gamepad. I stopped a theft and got footage for my website all at once!" He said with a confident smirk.

"Huh. And Kowa-kun made you seem like some renegade bruiser." Kohaku said, a hand under his chin. "But from where I'm sitting, you don't look like that bad a guy."

Dizzy rolled his eyes. "When you come from the Beta District like me, you gotta be tough. A lot of the kids there are assholes."

"Makes me glad I grew up here in the Delta District." Kohaku said. The teacher walked in for the lesson to start, so Kohaku merely typed a message on his Gamepad. _"Meet up with me and my friends in the central area during break period. You might fit right in. –Kohaku"_

Dizzy saw the response and smirked, typing his response. _"I'm in. Maybe you guys can get my some footage for my website. –Dizzy"_

*Later that Day* *Break Period*

Kohaku and Doc, who came from the same class, were in the break area. Plata and Yoru were nearby, having gotten there first. Kohaku began to eat the bento he had for lunch when he heard Dizzy's voice. "Yo, Kohaku!" The tri-color-haired boy perked up when he saw the muscled kid walking toward them, holding what looked like a disposable bowl covered with foil.

"Oi, Dizzy-kun! Glad you made it!" Kohaku said.

Doc, Plata, and Yoru did a double-take at him. "Wait, this guy is the guy that Kowa was scared of?" Yoru asked.

"Yep. He's not a bad guy, though. I've got third period with him." Kohaku said, munching on the food in his bento.

"I see Kohaku's got a unique little entourage." Dizzy said as he took a seat by them. "He told me all about you guys." He unwrapped his bowl, revealing a ramen dish.

Doc smelled the dish and widened his eyes. "When did you find the time to get that?!"

Dizzy had a smirk. "Get what, Doc-kun?" Kohaku asked.

"Look! This is the Spiral Ramen Bowl from Naginata's Ramen Stop in the Beta District!" The group looked, seeing noodles arranged in a signature spiral fashion on top of the broth.

Dizzy broke his chopsticks apart to begin eating when Kohaku had a lightbulb moment. "Wait a minute." He snapped his fingers. "His family runs that joint!"

"We have a winner!" Dizzy said as he dug in, slurping a noodle. "My real name's Ren Naginata, son of Genki Naginata of Naginata's Ramen Stop. Best ramen joint in the District."

"Amen to that. First place I ever went to when my family moved here." Plata said before looking at her sandwich. She frowned. "Man, my lunch is always cold." She reached inside her jacket and pulled out a small blue blow torch, small enough to need one hand, and flicked it on, putting it near her food.

Dizzy saw this and looked surprised. "You actually brought that thing to school?"

"You kidding? I keep this thing with me all the time." The Mexican girl replied. She soon flicked off the torch, her food being warmer. "Delicioso. (Delicious.)" She dug into the food with a smile.

Dizzy smirked as he continued eating. _'I think I'm gonna fit in just fine.'_

*Fifteen Minutes Later*

Kohaku let out a belch. "Man, that was good!"

"I gotta say, Kohaku, you guys are a riot!" Dizzy said with a grin, tossing his bowl into a nearby trash can. "I made a good choice enrolling here!"

"If you think we're cool, you should see the people all around the school!" Kohaku told him.

Dizzy's eyes crossed with a grin, pulling out his video camera. "I'm thinking a School Safari?"

"That would be an impressive documentary." Doc mused.

"Let's get this sucker started, then!" The gray-haired boy said, pulling out his Gamepad and video camera. Switching it on, his video feed on the Gamepad showed him. "Hey, everybody, it's Doorman Dizzy here, and today we're on a School Safari, showing off the faces of my new school, Delta High!" Dizzy said into his camera as he walked around the break area. "Let's see who's here." Almost immediately, he heard a THUD along with snoring. "Wha…?" Looking down, he noticed a sleeping Yoru on the ground, making Dizzy smirk. "And here's our first subject, Yoru Mezameru, a narcoleptic dude whose hair functions as an eye mask and whose outfit is his blanket."

"Oh, great, he's out." Kohaku said as he walked over to the sleeping boy. "Mezameru!"

Yoru snorted as he woke up, yawning. "Well, that was embarrassing." He said with a sleepy yet sheepish smile.

"His last name means 'awaken', so if you say it to him, he wakes up." Kohaku told the camera.

"How about that, viewers? A narcoleptic with an alarm switch." Dizzy said with a laugh. "Hey, Yoru, you're on recording for Dizzy's Doorway to Viralocity! Any words?"

"Just one." Yoru said. Instead of a word, though, he just yawned loudly, making Kohaku and Dizzy laugh.

"What a sport." Dizzy said. He then turned the camera to Kohaku. "As for this guy, meet Kohaku Yudin, the guy who's gonna be helpin' me out during all this!"

"'Sup, folks?" Kohaku said, giving a gesture to the camera. "Delta High's got some funky faces around here, not the least of which is me. Get this." He whipped out a bunch of cards in a Deck, at least 30 of them. "See these? This isn't my real Deck, people! These are all Game Cards!" He fanned them out, showing the burnt orange border on all of them. "And these aren't all that I have! I've got the biggest Game Card collection in the whole Delta District! I'd like to see a bigger collection!"

"Well, I think we just got a challenge, folks!" Dizzy said. "If you've got a bigger collection of Game Cards than this guy, upload the vid to Dizzy's Doorway! All right, Kohaku, what else are we gonna see around this school?"

"Well, if you'll look left, you'll see my other friends, for starters." Kohaku said, pointing left. Dizzy turned the camera on Plata and Doc. "Guy on the left, Jason Robinson, AKA Doc. That name's not just for show, either: His mom's a doctor, and she taught him quite a bit."

"Mostly basic stuff, like the Heimlich." Doc said nonchalantly, adjusting the headband around his neck. "I'd demonstrate, but the person immediately next to me could kick my ass if I tried."

Plata laughed in response. "Said person is Plata Vuelo, a Mexican native." Kohaku said. "She's a genuine Latina hottie, in two different ways."

"Did this suddenly become a personal ad?" Plata asked teasingly, pulling out her blow torch and flicking it on, holding it in front of her face. "Hey, boys, keeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!" Her grin was rather eerie.

The camera backed up. "Don't point that thing at me, please." Dizzy said nervously.

"Don't worry, I don't burn people." Plata said, docking the torch.

"And believe me, my crew's only a small group in this school." Kohaku said, Dizzy pointing the camera at him. "Let's get this thing under way!"

*A Few Minutes Later* *Elsewhere in the Break Area*

The group came upon a group of people who appeared to be playing a card game using actually poker cards. "Ha! Four of a kind!" Ginju shouted, slamming his cards on the playing area. He had four 9s in his hand.

"Kuso! That's the sixth time in a row!" One of the boys playing with him griped.

"How do you do that?!" Another one yell-asked.

Ginju didn't answer them as he gathered the cards up. "You suckers up for another round?"

"Sounds like we got a scammer here." Dizzy mused as he recorded.

"Nah, Ginju actually plays fair. He's just really lucky." Yoru said. "He's quite the asshole at times, though."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it, Yoru-kun!" Ginju said, he and the players having drawn new hands. He slapped down his hand: Two Kings and three Jacks. "Full house!" The other players groaned, throwing down worse hands.

"Man, screw this! I'm outta here!" One player said.

Kohaku's group shared a small laugh as they walked away. "That's another handy quality of his: He turns people into sore losers." Kohaku joked.

"KEE-YAAAAAAH!" A voice suddenly shouted. Female.

"What was that?" Dizzy asked, whipping the camera around.

"Three." Doc said.

"Two." Plata said.

"One." Yoru said. Dizzy was utterly confused until he looked up, seeing a shadow plummeting toward them, freaking him out.

"And sidestep!" Kohaku finished. He and his friends quickly sidestepped, Dizzy following their lead. However, right when the shadow was at about their level, Dizzy pulled a spinning backhand while still holding his video camera, slamming the shadow in the face and causing her to fly a short distance, landing on the ground. The figure was wearing what looked like a yellow robe of some sort that came to the waist, red markings on the robe, black pants of some sort, and white gloves with clawed tips, the gloves being a shiny light silver color on the ends. The person had light orange hair with a braided pigtail in the back, the pigtail fashioned like a zigzag with a black charm on the end.

Kohaku was surprised, to say the least. "Dude… Jumpy, are we?"

"I saw claws on that dude!" The orange-eyed boy griped, pointing at the figure. "He was gonna slice us!"

Kohaku started laughing, confusing him. "Okay, Dizzy-kun, point the camera at me." Dizzy did so, following him as Kohaku walked toward the figure. "One, I know this person, so we weren't gonna be attacked." He picked up the person, who groaned. "And two…" He turned the person over so they were sitting on their rear. "This is a girl." Sure enough, the face was of a cute girl, rubbing her cheek from the backhand. She had deep blue eyes, and the front showed that the robe was a fully-closed shirt, having a red insignia in the front. The sleeves were rather large.

Dizzy immediately felt stupid. "Oops… Gomen."

"Ngh, don't worry about it." The girl said. "That was one hell of a backhand." Dizzy raised an eyebrow.

"This here is Kire Kenkoro. She's a student of the Klash Fu dojo in the Alpha District, and she can be one tricky girl." Kohaku said.

"Don't flatter me too much, Koha-kun." Kire said as she stood up. "I'm not even halfway to the top. I need more training."

"Don't make yourself go overboard, Kire-chan." Doc said. "I'd rather not have you end up on my mom's operating table at the hospital."

"Right." Kire said.

"A martial artist. I suddenly don't feel so bad about slugging you." Dizzy said.

Kire smiled. "I may not be that skilled yet, but I can take a punch." She said. "See ya, guys!" Kire ran off, leaping onto a ledge to get to a higher floor.

"Two cool faces in only five minutes. What a Safari, eh, viewers?" Dizzy said to the camera before pointing it outward again. "Hey Kohaku, I heard about that uptight Homeroom President of yours. Let's see what she's all about, hee hee!" His eyes crossed slightly.

"Uh… maybe not. She might punch the camera." Kohaku said. "Then again, you've got a mean hook, so let's risk it!"

"Ready the rage helmets." Yoru said, making Plata snicker and Doc chuckle.

*Twenty Minutes Later*

"Koha-kun, this school is a gold mine of footage!" Dizzy said with a cross-eyed grin. "That thing with Hamun was hilarious!"

"For you, maybe." Doc complained, rubbing the side of his head. "Seriously, pushing me into her to imitate the classic 'boy falling on girl' thing?"

"Yeah… I went too far there. Gomen, Doc-kun." Kohaku said sheepishly.

"I'm uploading this stuff right away." Dizzy said, tapping his Gamepad and bringing up his website. His D-Vatar began to take the footage from the camera's hard drive to the uploader, putting the videos on the site. "These are gonna be hits on my Crazy Faces channel." After a couple minutes, Dizzy's D-Vatar gave a thumbs-up to show it was done. "Koha-kun, I gotta say, you and your friends have the makings of viral video stars."

"No kidding?" Kohaku asked.

"No kidding. Just look at your entourage! A Game Card enthusiast, a doctor's kid, a Mexican with a torch, and little Sleepy here! That could make a reality show!"

"Or an anime troop." Yoru said with a self-chuckle.

"You know, Koha-kun, once school is over, you might be able to give me another addition to my site." Dizzy told him with a smirk. "One of my more popular channels? 'Duel Showcase'."

"Duel Showcase? As in showing off people's cards?" Kohaku asked. Dizzy nodded. Kohaku pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Hell yeah! A dude who knows interesting people's gotta have some interesting cards!" Dizzy said, now grinning. "Whaddya say? Wanna take me on for the internet to see?"

Kohaku's face spread into a grin. "Do I ever! A single Duel that could net me internet popularity is a green-light challenge to me! Not to mention I'm curious about what kind of Deck YOU use."

Dizzy grinned and looked in the camera. "Well, folks, we have a challenger! Comin' up soon, Doorman Dizzy VS Ace Game Card Kid, Kohaku Yudin!"

"Watch yourself, Dizzy. Koha-kun's no pushover!" Plata warned with a smirk. Kohaku and Dizzy gave equally confident smirks at each other.

*In a Later Class*

Kohaku was finding it hard to keep focused on the teacher's lesson. He was too excited about his upcoming Duel with Dizzy. However, he felt something turn warm in his pocket. He felt around before finding a warm object, pulling it out to see that it was the silver-bordered Game Card. It was faintly glowing. _'What the…?'_ All of a sudden, a flash of light that only he saw erupted, making his vision go white.

*Daydream*

Kohaku opened his eyes to see that he was in the same black area as the dream he had earlier. The eight circles in a line were still in front of him, but the odd triangles were gone. Then, the seven circles in the back vanished, leaving only the one right in front of him. "This is crazy. What is this?" The line of light in front of him glowed, and he felt compelled to walk across it. He moved across the line until he was standing on the blue circle, and when he did, the black area suddenly changed. The black ground changed to look like a grassy plain, many flowers across the land, but a path was still traced along the area. There appeared to be some brightly colored tents, some buildings, and even some small castles around, giving it a medieval look. "Awesome..." Then he noticed something at the far end of the area: One of the triangular pieces. Kohaku looked down and saw that the light circle under him had become white. Then, a white line drew itself from the circle Kohaku was standing on to a new area on the path, becoming a red circle of light. "What's… going on…?" Kohaku walked across the path, standing on the red circle. The circle formed a cylinder of light around Kohaku, covering his body and making his vision go white…

*End Daydream*

"Koha-kun?" Yoru, who was in that class, whispered while shaking him, snapping him out of his stupor. "Dude, what happened?"

Kohaku shook his head. "I don't know, Yoru-kun… I just… zoned out." He said, looking back at the silver card. _'What is this thing…?'_

*After School*

As the end bell echoed, Kohaku and his friends exited the building, their first day of school over. However, when they were at the center area outside, Kohaku stopped, making the others stop. The Yudin teen checked his Gamepad. "Any minute now and he should be here."

"You weren't planning to skip out on me, were you?" Dizzy's voice was heard. Kohaku spun around with a smirk as the gray-haired teen stepped out of the building.

"Just waiting for you to get your butt out here, Dizzy-kun!" Kohaku shot back, making Dizzy smirk.

The larger teen beat his fists together. "Well, I hope you're ready!" He hopped forward and suddenly began moving forward by spinning on one foot, switching feet to make a zigzag motion while keeping his spin. He stopped his spin when he was in front of them, punching forward. "Because my Deck is gonna spin you into submission!" He pulled out his video camera. "Someone wanna hold the recorder for this?"

"I'll do it." Doc said. Dizzy tossed him the recorder, making him scramble slightly to catch it. He'd seen Dizzy work it, so he turned it on and pointed it at Dizzy.

"As I promised, folks, it's a round of Duel Showcase!" Dizzy said to the camera. "Doorman Dizzy here, and my opponent is the Ace Game Card Kid, Kohaku Yudin! What am I going up against, Kohaku?"

Doc moved the camera to Kohaku. "My Deck runs the Pixel HEROes, an Archetype that's gonna power up and stomp you flat like basic video game enemies!"

"Now that sounds like a good challenge! Let's see if your heroes can match my spinners!" Dizzy said. "We're goin' Game Mode on for this!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Kohaku said. "It is ON!" He grabbed his visor and pulled it so the bill faced backward. "D-Controller, switch on!" He threw up and caught his D-Controller on his wrist, unfolding into all the Zones. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" His Gamepad clacked onto the top of the D-Controller, the screen flashing.

"D-Controller, switch on!" Dizzy threw his D-Controller into the air and went into a one-foot spin, catching it on his wrist while spinning. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" His Gamepad went into the air as well, also being caught while he spun.

"D-Gazer, set!" Kohaku grabbed his Gazer and placed it over his eye. Dizzy finally broke his spin, placing a basic gray D-Gazer with an orange lens over his eye.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Everyone's D-Gazers flashed, including some who stuck around to watch. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

**Kohaku LP:4000**

**Dizzy LP:4000**

"In a Duel Showcase where I Duel, my opponent always goes first!" Dizzy said.

"As you wish, Dizzy-kun! Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Lemme start with this little guy! Pixel HERO – Thunder Mouse, Shoukan!" Lightning began to crackle on Kohaku's field, and an orb of blue electricity darted around the field. The orb slammed onto the field and dissipated, a form backflipping from it and landing on the ground. It was a young boy, around 5 or 6, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with two brown rings around his stomach, the suit having feet but no hands. His cheeks were rosy, and the Pixel HERO symbol was on his chest. The boy had short blonde hair and elf-like ears that pointed upward. He pulled out a hilt and held it up, lightning forming at the end to form a zigzag-bladed toy sword of some sorts, swiping with it a few times before raising a fist with a cheerful shout, lightning sparking off his ears.

**Pixel HERO – Thunder Mouse: Lv.3 LIGHT Thunder ATK:1100/DEF:700**

"Huh! Who knew the Pixel HEROes let kids into their ranks?" Dizzy asked rhetorically.

"You'd be surprised how varied these guys can be." Kohaku replied. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown emerged.

"Okay, NOW I'm energized! Time to feel the wind, Koha-kun!" Dizzy jeered. "Ore no turn! Draw!" He drew his card with a spin. "Top-Down Warrior, Shoukan!" A spinning blue emerged on the field, slowing down slightly to show that it was a human male doing a rapid windmill dance maneuver. He flipped himself onto his feet and took a battle stance. He had tan-colored dreadlocks, a blue training outfit with a V-cut at the end, bandages on his hands, wrists, and ankles, blue footwear, and a helmet with a single spike on his head.

**Top-Down Warrior: Lv.4 WIND Warrior ATK:1600/DEF:1200**

"All right, Top-Down Warrior! Spin out and attack Thunder Mouse!" The monster crossed his arms and leapt with an angle so the spike of his helmet hit the ground, then he twisted his body into a high-speed top-like spin. The spin's momentum propelled him toward the young HERO, delivering a powerful kick that caused him to explode.

**Kohaku LP:3500**

Dizzy snapped his fingers. "Top-Down Warrior no kouka hatsudo! Since he dealt Battle Damage to you, I can send a Magic or Trap Card on the field back to its owner's hand!" Top-Down Warrior's spin began to churn wind, which blew toward Kohaku's facedown and sent it back to his hand.

"Man!" Kohaku said, holding some of his hair back as the wind blew it. "You sure are a blowhard, Dizzy-kun!"

"I take that as a compliment!" Dizzy said, making them both laugh.

"Kowa was worked up over nothing with this guy." Plata mused. "He's a cool guy!" Doc and Yoru nodded in agreement.

"Kaado ni mai settei! Turn end!" Dizzy placed two facedowns.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. Kohaku loaded five Game Cards into his Gamepad while Dizzy loaded up four. The cards appeared on-screen and were cycled through before stopping on one. **"RPG RUMBLE."**

"Yosh!" Kohaku said.

An image of what looked look like the middle of a forest appeared in the AR field. Kohaku and Dizzy's D-Vatars appeared on-screen before being outfit-changed to special tunics, Kohaku being red and Dizzy being black, both of them carrying a sword and shield. A "40" appeared above each of them in orange, and a blue "20" appeared over them in blue. **"MANEUVER THROUGH ACTION MENU WITH CONTROL STICK AND SELECT ACTION WITH CONTROL STICK. ONLY ONE ACTION IS ALLOWED PER TURN. ACTION DETAILS ARE EXPLAINED IN-GAME. THE PLAYER WHOSE HEALTH REACHES ZERO FIRST LOSES AND LOSES 1500 LIFE POINTS."** The two D-Vatars took battle positions, and an arrow began to flash over them. It stopped on Kohaku's D-Vatar, indicating that it got the first move.

**GO!**

**Kohaku's Turn**

"It is ON!" Kohaku chirped, moving through the action menu. The choices were "Attack", "Special", "Item", and "Defend". He moved the cursor over "Attack".

**Attack – Three attempts to slash the opponent. A critical hit triples the damage.**

He selected it, and his D-Vatar leapt forward and slashed at Dizzy's D-Vatar, hitting it and dealing 2 damage. Another slash dealt another 2 damage, but it missed the last slash, leaping back to its side.

**Dizzy HP:36**

**Dizzy's Turn**

Dizzy selected "Special", getting three choices.

**Spin Slash – A rolling slash attack. 3 MP.**

**Tailwind – Causes a powerful wind to blow behind, increasing the chance of critical hits. Last for three turns. 7 MP.**

**Tornado – A powerful wind magic spell that may daze the opponent. 15 MP.**

Dizzy selected "Spin Slash". His D-Vatar held out its sword before going into a spinning motion, dashing forward and nailing Kohaku's D-Vatar with the rolling slash, dealing 8 damage, moving back to its side.

**Kohaku HP:32**

**Dizzy MP:17**

**Kohaku's Turn**

Kohaku selected "Special", getting his choices.

**Level Up – Increases basic Attack power and defense for three turns. 4 MP.**

**Fireball – Shoots a fireball at the enemy that may cause Burn status. 8 MP.**

**Sword Press – Leaps high before coming down on the opponent with the sword. 13 MP.**

Kohaku chose "Sword Press". His D-Vatar held its sword before jumping forward once, twice, then soaring up with a huge jump. A shadow formed over Dizzy's D-Vatar, making it look up before Kohaku's D-Vatar came down and slammed its sword into it, though since it was a game, nothing gory was shown. The damage output was 22, and the aggressor leapt back to its side.

**Dizzy HP:14**

**Kohaku MP:7**

**Dizzy's Turn**

"Okay, Koha-kun, you wanna play hardball?" Dizzy said. "Let's play hardball!" Selecting "Special" again, Dizzy chose "Tornado". With a grin, his D-Vatar leapt into the air and spun around with its sword, churning wind around it. The wind formed a powerful tornado that swirled across the field, catching Kohaku's D-Vatar and spinning it around while damaging it, 23 damage total. Dizzy's D-Vatar landed back on the ground as the tornado dissipated, and Kohaku's D-Vatar finally stopped spinning, but its eyes were spinning. The image of a spiral appeared next to him.

**Kohaku HP:11, Dizzy**

**Status: Dizzy – Physical attacks may miss more often.**

**Dizzy MP:2**

**Kohaku's Turn**

Kohaku selected "Special" again and chose "Level Up". Despite its dizziness, Kohaku's D-Vatar pointed its sword upward, a flash coming from the tip. Orange and blue lights rose up from around it, strengthening it. A counter with a 3 appeared next to it.

**Kohaku MP:3**

**Dizzy's Turn**

"My basic attack won't work, and I don't have enough MP. I hope I've got a good item." Dizzy said, checking "Item". He saw "Green Potion", which gave 5 MP. "Yosh!" He picked "Green Potion", which materialized beside Dizzy's D-Vatar as a beaker with green liquid. The D-Vatar dropped the shield and grabbed the beaker, chugging the contents. When it was finished, its body flashed green and the beaker vanished, and the D-Vatar picked up its shield.

**Dizzy MP:7**

Kohaku's D-Vatar shook its head and got itself right, the Dizzy icon vanishing. Level Up's counter went to "2". "Looks like I'll have to gamble this. It is ON!" He chose "Attack", and his D-Vatar rushed forward. The first slash hit Dizzy's D-Vatar, dealing 4 damage this time, but the second slash missed. "Kuso!" Dizzy grinned. The D-Vatar went for the final slash and hit, but this time, the damage indicator was larger and showed a "12". "Yatta! Critical hit!" Dizzy's D-Vatar reeled from the slash, dropping its sword and shield. It gave a grin and a gesture to Kohaku's D-Vatar as if to say "Nice one…!", then it fainted.

**FINISH!**

**Kohaku Wins!**

Kohaku's D-Vatar helped Dizzy's D-Vatar to its feet, both of them smiling, then Kohaku's D-Vatar slashed its sword before taking a victory pose with a "Yatta, ha ha!" Dizzy's D-Vatar shrugged its shoulders and held out an arm at the other D-Vatar as if to direct the attention to it, a content smirk on its face.

**"REN 'DIZZY' NAGINATA HAS LOST, AND THEREFORE LOSES 1500 LIFE POINTS."** The AR system said. A bolt of red lightning came from nowhere and struck where Dizzy was, making him grunt.

**Dizzy LP:2500**

The game visual cut out, ending the Intermission. The Game Cards were then ejected from the Gamepad slots, a marking on RPG Rumble to prevent its re-use. "I gotta say, Koha-kun, I didn't expect that kind of play from you. I've done RPG Rumble before, but this is the first time someone beat me at it!"

"You gotta know what you're doing in order to win. That's what an RPG is about: You gotta think before you act!" Kohaku said, tapping his temple.

Dizzy nodded. "You've got the right heart for these games… So it's time to turn this Duel up and really appease the Internet masses!"

**_*7 second music*_**

**_I will not lie down, roll over_**  
**_*3 second music*_**  
**_I will not just let it by_**  
**_*3 second music*_**

**_I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh_**  
**_You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero_**

**_I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now_**  
**_With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down_**  
**_Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow_**  
**_There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now_**

**_10…_**  
**_9…_**  
**_8…_**  
**_7…_**  
**_6…_**  
**_5…_**  
**_4…_**  
**_3…_**  
**_2…_**  
**_1…_**  
**_0…_**

* * *

*Preview*

Kohaku: This Duel is sure to make me an Internet star!

Dizzy: You'll have to get past my ultimate beast of wind to secure that spot, pal!

Kohaku: The silver card's been calling me because of that monster… Is it part of the riddle?

?: Your quest… It is time to begin…

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Red Fire VS Red Wind! World 1 Unlocked!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Pixel HERO - Thunder Mouse  
Level 3 LIGHT Thunder  
ATK:1100/DEF:700  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used twice: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. Once per turn, you can discard 1 Monster Card from your hand: Destroy 1 monster your opponent controls whose Level is equal to or less than this monster's Level.

Top-Down Warrior  
Level 4 WIND Warrior  
ATK:1600/DEF:1200  
If this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Target 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field: Return it to its owner's hand.

RPG Rumble  
2-Player VS Game Card  
Both players start with 40 HP and 20 MP. Maneuver through action menu with the Control Stick and make your choice with the A Button. Only one action is allowed per turn. Action choices are shown and explained in-game. The player whose HP reaches 0 first loses the game and loses 1500 Life Points.

* * *

**Vile: The Duel continues next chapter, but the start has been good. Will the Duel be worthy of viral video fame? And what's with the silver card? Answers may very well appear in the next chapter! If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! So long for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	3. Level 003

**Vile: I think I've got a good drive back, as I've got Chapter 3 finished for you all! Before I continue, a couple people have been confused about the fact that my Compositions say "X or more monsters". Looking back at effects I had made, I decided to delete that. From here on in, Compositions will have exact numbers of Xyz Materials unless stated otherwise (similar to Hazy Flame Basilitrice). With that little tidbit out of the way, let's get started. Disclaimer's on the first page, any bolded cards are mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 003: Red Fire VS Red Wind! World 1 Unlocked!

*Recap*

Kohaku: Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART, that silver card that Kuran-kun gave me showed me this weird vision, which I still don't get. I met this guy named Ren Naginata, AKA Dizzy, and he cast me and my friends in a video for a viral video website! It was awesome, and we showed him the faces of our school. He was impressed, but now I'm taking him on in a Duel for his Duel Showcase channel! I just beat him in RPG Rumble to give myself a lead, but I get the feeling that things won't be so easy now! It is ON!

* * *

Kohaku and Dizzy were in a small staredown, Doc still recording the Duel on Dizzy's camera off to the side.

**Kohaku LP:3500**

**Dizzy LP:2500**

Field Recap

Kohaku's field: Empty

Dizzy's field: **Top-Down Warrior**, 2 facedowns

**Top-Down Warrior: Lv.4 WIND Warrior ATK:1600/DEF:1200**

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Pixel HERO – Thunder Mouse no kouka hatsudo! Like my other Pixel HEROes, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard a certain number of times, and Thunder Mouse's limit is two!" Lightning crackled on the field as the young mouse-like HERO returned. A life counter appeared beside him, counting from "x2" to "x1".

**Pixel HERO – Thunder Mouse: Lv.3 LIGHT Thunder ATK:1100/DEF:700 1 "Life" Left**

"Now I release Thunder Mouse! Adobansu Shoukan!" Thunder Mouse's body changed back into lightning, becoming pure energy. The energy turned red and became unstable, forming a taller figure. "Koi (Come), Pixel HERO… Chaos Needle!" The red energy was dispelled by a fist, revealing another Pixel HERO within. This one was clad in black with red trim on the outfit, a white patch with the Pixel HERO symbol on the chest. Oddly, a tail came out of the jumpsuit. The boots were white with red soles, and they appeared to be of some high-tech order. The unstable red energy covered his hands, yet it could be seen that he was wearing white gloves with yellow wrist rings. His skin was tanned and he had red eyes and triangle-shaped ears, and while he had no helmet, he had thick, wild, and spiky black hair with red highlights. He didn't look happy at all.

**Pixel HERO – Chaos Needle: Lv.6 DARK Beast-Warrior ATK:2100/DEF:1800**

"Whoa, what do we have here?" Dizzy wondered. Top-Down Warrior looked curious as well.

Kohaku smirked. "Pixel HERO – Chaos Needle no kouka hatsudo!" Chaos Needle held up its right hand, an odd spike coming out of this energy. "Once per turn, I can choose one of your monsters and banish it until the End Phase!" The black-and-red-garbed HERO reared its hand back to throw the spike.

"Lemme stop you right there, Koha-kun! Trap Card, **Dizzy Disc**, hatsudo!" All of a sudden, a glass cylinder surrounded Chaos Needle, surprising it. The floor within the sphere turned blue with a spiral pattern, and it began to spin slowly, confusing the monster. Then the spinning kicked into high gear, turning Chaos Needle into nothing but a spinning blur.

"Nani…?" Kohaku wondered.

The spinning disc finally slowed down and the glass lowered, leaving Chaos Needle behind, stumbling around, its eyes looking like spirals. "My Trap Card made your HERO dizzy! His effects are negated this turn, and if you want the guy to attack, you have to flip a coin! Get Heads, and the attacks goes on! Get Tails, and he spins out for a miss!"

"Hmm…" Kohaku thought. "…I'll take that chance! It is ON! Pixel HERO – Chaos Needle, attack Top-Down Warrior!" Chaos Needle rose its hand into the air, struggling to stay on his feet, and the image of a coin spinning appeared in the AR field. One side had a small fairy-esque silhouette, the other had a skull. "Coin Flip!" Kohaku pressed a button on his Gamepad, causing the coin to flip up into the air, landing back down on the screen… fairy side up. Kohaku smiled. "Heads! Chaos Needle's takin' out your Top-Down Warrior!" Despite its stumbling, the black-and-red warrior swiped its arms around, suspending a bunch of small red energy spheres around him. Then, he thrust his arms forward, and the energy spheres darted forward as a barrage of energy needles. The needles rained over Dizzy's field, many of them striking the warrior and making him explode. Dizzy grunted as wind blew over him.

**Dizzy LP:2000**

"I guess today's a lucky day for me!" Kohaku said. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown emerged. At that moment, Chaos Needle shut his eyes and shook his head, re-opening his eyes to show that he wasn't dizzy anymore.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Dizzy drew his card. "Kaado ichi mai settei!" A facedown emerged, putting him back at two facedowns. "You're pretty good, Koha-kun, but I think your luck is about to run out." Dizzy crossed his eyes. "Time to blow this field into submission! Magic Card, **Propulsion Fan**, hatsudo! This card lets me Special Summon a Level 3 or below WIND monster from my Deck and equip it with this card! Cooling Fan, Tokushu Shoukan!" An odd silver fan-like turbine appeared and began spinning, blowing a tunnel of wind into the field. The blades glowed blue, and a blue beam of energy was fired from them, striking the ground and changing form. It became a blue machine that was just a fan with two feet and stubby arms. The fan blades were surprising, though: They were made completely out of ice. The Propulsion Fan then reduced in size and equipped to the top of it.

**Cooling Fan: Lv.3 WIND Machine ATK:1300/DEF:300**

Dizzy smirked, wind still blowing. "And there's one more effect that Propulsion Fan has. While it's equipped to a monster, if I release that monster to Advance Summon a WIND monster, I can count that as releasing two monsters!" He performed a quick spin and punched forward. "I release Cooling Fan as two monsters!" Propulsion Fan kicked back into gear, only this time it fired a wind tunnel behind the machine. Cooling Fan started up its own blades, then the monster leaned back before being propelled into the air. While in the air, Cooling Fan spun around, the combined wind of the two fans forming a powerful tornado that blew wind everywhere. All of a sudden, the tornado turned an ominous crimson red. "When the wind turns red, order as it is known is in danger!" A large, red, clawed hand slowly emerged from the tornado, not going past the wrist. An identical hand emerged on the other side. Both hands had the index finger, middle finger, and thumb extended, the former two pressed against each other. "Hold onto your hats as the hurricane hits high gear!" Dizzy was completely unfazed by the wind, but Kohaku and the others were shielding themselves. Then, from the top of the tornado, the surprising source rose up: A young red-haired boy, about 13, with his arms crossed, two fingers and the thumb extended on each hand like the clawed hands. His attire was also fully red, but the sign that he wasn't what he seemed was his head: Two devilish horns stuck out of his head. "Crimson… Cycloner!" The devil boy's eyes, which were a piercing green, shot open as he grinned, then the two hands in the tornado separated, showing that they were merely hands supported by their own red tornadoes. The boy then shot down with a downward flying kick, dispelling the tornado from the top as he fell. When he impacted the ground, a large wind gust blew 360 degrees, blowing dust around. Cycloner then rose his head with a smirk before hopping up, forming a red tornado under him that he levitated on top of in a sitting position, his legs crossed. He snapped his fingers on both hands, and the two hands moved to his sides, imitating him as he crossed his arms with an evil chuckle.

**Crimson Cycloner: Lv.8 WIND Fiend ATK:2900/DEF:1300**

Kohaku's friends were awed at the crimson monster. "Whoa… that wind would definitely keep me awake for a day." Yoru breathed.

"No wonder Dizzy's popular on the net. That thing looks awesome!" Plata said.

"I'm surprised the wind isn't staticing the camera." Doc mused, shaking a bit, which was giving the camera a shaky cam effect.

"Not a bad monster, eh, Koha-kun?" Dizzy asked with a smirk.

"Are you kidding? That has gotta be the coolest WIND monster I have ever seen!" Kohaku said honestly.

Dizzy grinned. "Glad you like it, because things are gonna get hairy! Crimson Cycloner no kouka hatsudo!" The devil boy made the three-finger hand sign on both hands, mimicked by the larger hands. His tornado began to grow. "Once per turn, I can activate these four effects in this order! Go, Crimson Cyclone!" Cycloner show his arms out, the large hands mimicking him, and his tornado grew huge, making red wind swirl everywhere. With each effect he named, Dizzy counted off his fingers. "One: One card on each side of the field is destroyed!" The wind cut across Chaos Needle and one of Dizzy's facedowns, destroying them. "Two: One card on each side of the field is returned to our hands!" The wind swept up Dizzy's other facedown as well as Kohaku's facedowns, sending them right back to their hands. "Three: One card in each of our hands is discarded!" The wind blew away one card from both hands: In Kohaku's case, his Bit Blade. "And four: One random card from our Graveyard is added to our hands!" The wind blew into both Graveyards, taking one card from each. Kohaku had gotten his Pixel HERO – Thunder Mouse back. Finally, the wind calmed down, and Cycloner's tornado shrunk back to normal size, him crossing his arms again.

Kohaku's hair was completely messed up from the wind, and his eyes were shut. He then opened them. "Damn! If bark is worse than bite, then breath is worse than bark with that kid!"

Cycloner gave a chuckle in response to Kohaku's comment. "Well, if that storm wasn't enough for you, Crimson Cycloner can still attack you! Cycloner, move in! Direct attack!" Cycloner got up and "stood" on top of the tornado and thrust his arms forward, making the two large hands dart forward. He then clapped his hands together and twisted them, turning the large hands into a spinning red tornado drill. "Crimson Drill Claw!"

Doc, Plata, and Yoru's eyes all widened. "Oh… CRAP!" Kohaku said nothing.

From nowhere, a voice echoed, unheard by everyone. _ 'It… has begun…'_

**_*8 second intro*_**

**_Don't give up the fight! Play on!  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

**_*rest*_**

**_With every step you take you grow  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road (The shadowed spinning male form is unshadowed to reveal that it is Dizzy, and the shadowed monster is revealed to be Crimson Cycloner)  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

**_Level yourself up, and you can make it through (Dizzy's D-Vatar joins Kohaku, Doc, Plata, and Yoru's D-vatars, jumping through the screen to become the real deal with them)  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

**_It is ON! (Dizzy joins the group pose on the title screen)_**

The drilling claws barreled toward Kohaku. "Can you take the wind, Koha-kun?" Dizzy asked, not really serious.

Kohaku smirked. "I don't have to! Pixel HERO – Brave Blade no kouka hatsudo!" A figure that looked like three triangles arranged with an upside-down-triangle-shaped gap in the middle etched itself into the ground, then the gap glowed. "If I'm ever the victim of a direct attack by a monster with 1600 or more Attack Points, I can Special Summon it from my Deck in Defense Mode!" From the gap, a new Pixel HERO emerged. He was clad in a green leotard-esque outfit with silver sleeves and leggings, a brown belt and chest strap went around his torso, and brown gloves were on his hands. In his left hand was a sword with a blue hilt, and in his right hand was a blue shield with a silver rim and a yellow Pixel HERO symbol. He had messy blonde hair with a green helmet with a backward-facing point, a hoop earring in each ear. He landed on the ground and knelt down, throwing his shield in front of him.

**Pixel HERO – Brave Blade: Lv.4 EARTH Warrior ATK:1400/DEF:1600**

"Oh boy, we got a Replay on our hands!" Dizzy said. The drilling hands continued on, as Brave Blade was right in their flight path. The warrior kept firm as the claws smashed into him, destroying him. "Koha-kun, you are unpredictable. I might have to kick it up a notch!" Dizzy said as the two hands returned to Cycloner's sides. "Turn end!"

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. Kohaku loaded five Game Cards into his Gamepad while Dizzy re-loaded his four. The cards appeared on-screen and were cycled through before stopping on one. **"TORNADO ESCAPE."**

"Yosh, that's my game!" Dizzy chirped.

An image of what looked like the top of a cliff appeared in the AR field, a simple wood cabin on the edge of the cliff, a gray cloudy sky above. Kohaku and Dizzy's D-Vatars appeared on-screen in front of the cabin, but wind began to blow. **"CHANGE DIRECTION WITH CONTROL STICK AND REPEATEDLY TAP A BUTTON TO SCRAMBLE LEFT OR RIGHT IN THE WIND. DODGE AND SCALE INCOMING DEBRIS TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF THE TORNADO AND ESCAPE. FIRST PLAYER TO THE TOP WINS, AND THE WINNER'S OPPONENT LOSES 1000 LIFE POINTS."** All of a sudden, the wind surged into a huge tornado, destroying the cliff and the cabin and blowing it upward, lifting the freaking out D-Vatars into the air as well.

**GO!**

"It is ON!" Kohaku cried. By tapping the A Button, Kohaku and Dizzy made their D-Vatars try to move, but they could only scramble slowly with the wind keeping them afloat. Kohaku was tapping faster, making his D-Vatar scramble slightly faster. Soon, rocks and wood began to appear above them as they rose up. The players made their D-Vatars scramble away, but Kohaku's D-Vatar was nailed by a rock, making it look like Dizzy's D-Vatar was raising, but Kohaku's D-Vatar was actually stalled. The game continued, both D-Vatars being hit a couple times, but in the end, Dizzy's D-Vatar made it to the top first, leaping out and landing back on what remained of the cliff. As he did, the tornado faded into nothing. Kohaku's D-Vatar, being spiral-eyed, fell from above and landed next to Dizzy's.

**FINISH!**

**Dizzy Wins!**

Dizzy's D-Vatar gave a series of squeaks as a chuckle before spinning on one foot and ending with a punch, Kohaku's D-Vatar still remaining on the ground. **"REN 'DIZZY' NAGINATA HAS WON, SO HIS OPPONENT LOSES 1000 LIFE POINTS."** A red lightning bolt struck Kohaku, zapping him of Life Points.

**Kohaku LP:2500**

The gaming field cut out, and the players ejected their Game Cards, Tornado Escape being marked. Kohaku was about to draw, but he heard something in his head. _ 'It is almost time…'_

_'Huh? Who said that?'_ Kohaku thought. He noticed something glowing in his Game Card holder. It was the silver card.

_'Match the red wind… with red fire…'_ The voice said. _'Start your quest…'_

"Hey, Koha-kun! You all right over there?" Dizzy called, snapping Kohaku out of it. "Dude, you zoned out on me!"

_'Just like what happened in class.'_ Yoru thought.

"Uh… gomen! Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Magic Card, **Stock Transfer**, hatsudo! By discarding a Pixel HERO monster from my hand, I can Special Summon a Pixel HERO monster with the same Level as that monster from my Deck, but for this turn, it can't attack and its effects are negated!" He picked a card. "I discard Thunder Mouse, which you so thoughtfully gave me back!" He dumped the card, and a new card slid out from his Deck. "Pixel HERO – Speed Spike, Tokushu Shoukan!" A spinning blue sphere emerged and bounced on the field with a high-pitched whirring sound, uncurling to reveal a male Pixel HERO who looked similar to Chaos Needle, only with a fully blue jumpsuit, red boots with a white stripe, a tan section on the chest with the Pixel HERO symbol, green eyes, and blue hair in spikes that were slicker than Chaos Needle's hair. Unlike the former, there were no wrist rings on his gloves, and this HERO wore a cocky smirk.

**Pixel HERO – Speed Spike: Lv.3 WIND Beast-Warrior/Base ATK:900/DEF:1700**

"A Base Monster, eh?" Dizzy mused.

_'No… not this…'_ The voice said in Kohaku's head.

_'Look, I don't know who or what you are, but let me make my own moves!'_ Kohaku said in his head. He snapped his fingers, and Speed Spike gave a whistle. From purple portals, Thunder Mouse, Chaos Needle, and Brave Blade emerged, and Speed Spike flashed them a peace sign. Brave Blade gave a thumbs-up and Thunder Mouse rose his fist, but Chaos Needle gave a half-hearted peace sign. "Boku wa, Thunder Mouse, Chaos Needle, Brave Blade to, Reberu San no Speed Spike de, Shinajaizu!" The four HEROes formed a circle and placed their hands in the center, each one's hands glowing a color that matched their Attribute. An energy ball that was tye-dye of green, yellow, purple, and orange formed in the center. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai!" When the energy ball grew larger, the four monsters jumped straight backward and let out a shout while thrusting their hands to the sky. Then, all four of them transformed into Soul Towers and fired beams of yellow lightning at the energy ball, which began to change shape. "Kōzu Shoukan!" A hand emerged from the energy and swiped, dispelling the energy in seven pieces. The figure was similar in appearance to Speed Spike, but he was larger. His jumpsuit was yellow in color, still with the tan center patch and even identical boots, but the yellow suit was glowing brightly. His eyes had changed to red, and he had upward-spiking, flowing golden hair that was also glowing. "Arawareyo, Pixel HERO – Chaos Speed Spike!" The energy that was scattered formed into seven energy balls that floated in a ring around Speed Spike: Red, yellow, green, blue, cyan, purple, and white. The monster wagged his finger at Crimson Cycloner, making it raise an eyebrow, then took an identical pose to the Fiend: Arms crossed, legs crossed, and smirking.

**Pixel HERO – Chaos Speed Spike: Quality 3 LIGHT Beast-Warrior/Composition ATK:2800/DEF:0 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Chaos Speed Spike was always my favorite of Koha-kun's Compositions." Doc admitted.

"Eh, I prefer Red Blazer." Plata said.

"While that thing does look cool, it doesn't have enough Attack Points to beat Cycloner!" Dizzy mused, giving a grin out of the Fiend.

**Crimson Cycloner ATK:2900**

"Who said it needs to? Chaos Speed Spike no kouka hatsudo! During my Main Phase, I can deactivate all 4 of its Soul Towers!" At once, all four Soul Towers had their white crystals go black, and the lightning vanished from all of them.

**Pixel HERO – Chaos Speed Spike: 0 Active Soul Towers**

"And since I did that, Chaos Speed Spike can go right through your monsters for a direct attack!" Cycloner looked shocked as Chaos Speed Spike gathered all seven orbs to him, his jumpsuit, hair, and glow flashing between their colors. "Hyper Speed Attack!" With the power flowing through him, Chaos Speed Spike darted at lightning speed, going right past the red tornado.

Dizzy freaked out, but acted quick. "Cooling Fan no kouka hatsudo! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can cut any dose of damage in half!" An image of the icy-bladed machine appeared in front of him, spinning its fan to blow an ice-cold wind at the incoming warrior. Chaos Speed Spike was deterred slightly, but he still dashed right past the image and right through Dizzy, damaging him.

**Dizzy LP:600**

"Darn it, that could've been the win!" Kohaku griped as Chaos Speed Spike returned to his field. "Kaado ni mai settei!" Two facedowns emerged. All of a sudden, Chaos Speed Spike began to pant heavily, his glow fading in and out.

"Hey, is he all right?" Dizzy asked.

"Chaos Speed Spike burns himself out on his effect, and he needs a full set of Soul Towers to keep going." Kohaku explained. "During the End Phase when Chaos Speed Spike has less than his full 4 Active Soul Towers, I can either destroy him or pay 700 Life Points to reactivate a Soul Tower, so I'm paying up!" One of the black crystals returning to white, firing yellow lightning at the Pixel HERO again.

**Pixel HERO – Chaos Speed Spike: 1 Active Soul Tower**

**Kohaku LP:1800**

"Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Dizzy drew his card. "I retrieved this little guy through Crimson Cycloner! Magic Card, **Propulsion Fan**, hatsudo! Spike Topper, Shoukan!" His monster emerged as a gray monster with a humanoid torso, but it was spinning rapidly on a lower body that was a spike-lined top. The spinning slowed to a lower pace, showing that the humanoid body had no face, but spiked arms.

**Spike Topper: Lv.3 WIND Rock ATK:1600/DEF:200**

Dizzy grinned while crossing his eyes. "Time to blow this field apart again!"

"Not this time, Dizzy-kun!" Kohaku said.

"Eh?"

"Trap Card, **Mute Magic**, hatsudo!" The Trap flipped up, and two white "X"'s flew out, latching to both monsters on the mouths (or at least where a mouth would be for Spike Topper). "This card negates the effects of all face-up monsters you control for two turns!"

"Aw, man! Now I can't use Cycloner!" Dizzy griped. "At least I can still attack you! Crimson Cycloner, attack Chaos Speed Spike!" Cycloner directed its hands as a red tornado drill, smashing right through the golden hero and destroying him.

**Kohaku LP:1700**

"Spike Topper, follow up with Needle Spiral!" The top creature picked up high speed ahead and barreled forward, going straight through Kohaku.

"Uwaaaaah!" Kohaku yelled as he was thrown back, landing on the ground.

**Kohaku LP:100**

"Ooh… Nasty hit." Plata said.

Kohaku quickly picked himself up off the ground and shook his hand. "Man, now I'm in a tight spot. I gotta figure a way out of this!"

"There may not be a way out of this, pal!" Dizzy said. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown emerged.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. Kohaku loaded five Game Cards into his Gamepad while Dizzy re-loaded his unmarked three. The cards appeared on-screen and were cycled through before stopping on one. **"GET A CLUE."**

An arrow flashed over both players repeatedly before slowing down, stopping over Dizzy. "Yosh!" He chirped.

"Oh, man…" Kohaku griped.

An image of a very cluttered room appeared in the AR field, and Dizzy's D-Vatar walked on-screen facing the room, scratching its head at the state of the room. **"TAP THE TOUCH SCREEN TO SELECT THE OBJECT THAT MATCHES THE ON-SCREEN CLUE. GET 5 CLUES CORRECT TO WIN. GET 3 CLUES WRONG, AND THE PLAYER LOSES. IF THE PLAYER WINS, THEY DRAW 2 CARDS."** A clue appeared on top of the screen. **"DIVIDE AND CONQUER."**

**GO!**

Dizzy looked around the screen, his D-Vatar looking around the room. "Divide and conquer, divide and conquer..." He said to himself. "Maybe this?" He tapped an axe in the room, which his D-Vatar walked over to. A large X appeared over it with a buzzer, his D-Vatar looking sad.

**Dizzy: 1 Miss**

"Crud." Dizzy said as his D-Vatar walked back to position. He went back to trying to figure it out. "Oh! Duh! It's this!" He tapped a room divider, directing his D-Vatar. A chime was heard, making his D-Vatar jump and smile.

**Dizzy: 1 Clear**

The D-Vatar walked back, and a new clue appeared: **"CLOCK OUT."**

"Clock. That's obvious." Dizzy tapped a watch on the screen. His guess was correct.

**Dizzy: 2 Clears**

Next clue: **"RIDE ON."**

"Ride? Weird." Dizzy wondered. He tapped a toy rideable jeep on the screen, but his guess turned out to be wrong.

**Dizzy: 2 Misses**

"Dang. It's gotta be here! But where?" With a shaky finger, Dizzy decided to try a tiny pickup truck toy. He immediately felt dumb for picking it since you couldn't actually ride it. Sure enough, a buzzer sounded.

**3 Misses**

**FINISH!**

**You Lose!**

Dizzy's D-Vatar facepalmed before shrugging. The correct item then flashed: A surfboard. Dizzy facepalmed. "Of course… you actually ride ON a surfboard instead of IN one." Since he didn't win, the screen just vanished, and both players ejected their Game Cards. "Hey Doc, what's the battery life on that thing?"

Doc checked the screen. "Still got two bars. Everything's OK."

"Good, good. Had to make sure my camera doesn't shut off in the middle of this!" The gray-haired boy replied.

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. It was Pixel HERO – Red Hammer. "Not what I'd hoped for."

_'Yes…'_ The mysterious voice said.

_'Oh, would you be quiet?'_ Kohaku thought.

_'Summon it… call the red fire…'_ The voice said.

_'Red fire… Does it mean Red Blazer?'_ Kohaku wondered. _'I might as well give it a shot!'_ "Pixel HERO – Red Hammer, Shoukan!" His signature red-and-blue-garbed, muscular, hammer-toting HERO emerged with a bounce.

**Pixel HERO – Red Hammer: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior/Base ATK:1600/DEF:1400**

"It is ON! "Boku wa Thunder Mouse, Speed Spike, Brave Blade to, Reberu Yon no Red Hammer de Shinajaizu!" The three HEROes he named off returned to the field from purple portals and joined Red Hammer in placing their hands in the center. A red, yellow, green, and orange tye-dye energy ball formed in the center, which burst into flame. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" As the monsters became Soul Towers, the burning energy ball morphed into a humanoid being covered in fire, who thrust his arms to dispel the flames, revealing his true white-and-red-garbed, mustached form. He dispelled the flames from his hands and flashed a peace sign, the Soul Towers firing red lightning at him. However, he then knelt down onto his knee.

**Pixel HERO – Red Blazer: Quality 4 FIRE Warrior/Composition ATK:2500/DEF:2000 4 Active Soul Towers (Defense Mode)**

Kohaku saw the silver card glow even brighter. _ 'The conditions have been met… It is time…'_

_'I swear, I don't get this.'_ Kohaku thought. "Pixel HERO – Red Blazer no kouka hatsudo! Once per turn, I can destroy a monster with less ATK than him! Spike Topper has 1600 ATK, so say goodbye! Red Fireball!" Red Blazer whipped a hand out and set it on fire, shooting a bouncing fireball across the field that struck the top, incinerating and destroying it. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Dizzy drew his card. "Magic Card, **Vortex**, hatsudo! For each Magic or Trap Card I banish from my Graveyard, I can banish 1 Spell or Trap Card you control until the end of the turn!" An odd vortex ripped open in the sky, sucking in Dizzy's Propulsion Fan and Dizzy Disc, and then sucked in Kohaku's two facedowns. Dizzy giggled eerily. "Whirlwind Weasel, Shoukan!" His monster emerged from a small tornado, being a brown-and-white-furred weasel with a pink ribbon tied around its neck.

Whirlwind Weasel: Lv.3 WIND Beast ATK:500/DEF:1500

"Game over, Koha-kun! Crimson Cycloner, attack Pixel HERO – Red Blazer!" The two hands drilled forward as a red tornado.

Kohaku smirked. "Pixel HERO – Red Blazer no kouka hatsudo! Once per turn, I can prevent him from being destroyed by battle by deactivating a Soul Tower!" One of the white crystals went black, the red lightning ceasing. Red Blazer threw up a barrier of fire around him that managed to deflect the tornado hands, but when the barrier ceased, a Power Down sound effect was heard as his fire powers left him, his hair and mustache turning to brown.

**Pixel HERO – Red Blazer: 3 Active Soul Towers**

"Kuso! I've got nothing left in my hand to use! Turn end!" Dizzy stated. 'At least I've got my facedown still.' At that moment, the Vortex opened, and Kohaku's facedowns returned to their original positions.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said.

Kohaku went for his cards, but when he pulled them out, he was holding four normal Game Cards and the silver one. _'Darn it, grabbed the wrong one.'_ As he went to put the silver card back, it glowed. _'Huh?'_ The words in the lord box changed.

**_Met the conditions you have, well done,_**  
**_Now it's time for some well-earned fun_**  
**_Load this card for the roulette spin,_**  
**_World 1-1, you'll be thrust right in._**

"World 1-1…" Kohaku breathed. Then it hit him. 'Stand against red wind with the force of fist.' He looked at Crimson Cycloner. 'Red wind with the force of fist! Crimson Cycloner! And attack with red fire… Red Blazer! Oppose Cycloner with Blazer! Of course!' Kohaku grinned. "I've got a good feeling now! It is ON!" He loaded the silver card along with his four. Dizzy's three cards were loaded.

The roulette flashed around, but when It highlighted the silver card for the second time, it stopped dead on. **"ACCESSING WORLD MAP."**

"World Map?" Everyone but Kohaku wondered. Then, the silver card gave off a bright flash of light, blinding everyone.

When the light died down, everyone was surprised at where they were. The AR field had changed to look like the world Kohaku had seen in his daydream: A grassy plain with flowers and a path traced in the ground, with tents, small castles, and other decorum to give it a Camelot-esque look. Kohaku was standing on the same white circle as when he first had the daydream, only now it was solid and part of the ground. "Holy crud! Where the heck are we?!" Dizzy wondered.

Doc pulled off his D-Gazer, noting that they weren't in the area anymore with it off. "It appears to be an AR effect… but there's no Field Spell in play."

Kohaku looked around and saw an AR screen appear to his right. Words printed on it.

**World 1: Medieval Plains**

"World 1? It's like some kind of video game world!" He realized. Then he heard a squeaking sound. He looked and saw his D-Vatar appear right next to him with a smile. "Whoa… too cool!" The D-Vatar hopped once before rushing down the path to a red circle, motioning Kohaku to follow him. Kohaku moved along the path, which to him seemed like he was moving forward, but to Dizzy and the others' vision, he was moving sideways with the World Map moving under his feet. Kohaku stopped on the red circle and was directed to look left, where more words showed on an AR screen.

**World 1-1: Grassland Stroll**

"World 1-1…" Kohaku breathed. The AR screen then changed to some kind of gate. He looked at his D-Vatar, who wanted to go through the gate. He smiled. "Well, this is the game, so I'll play it! It is ON!" Grabbing his Gamepad, Kohaku hit the A Button, making his D-Vatar run forward and jump through the gate.

The gate widened and changed to look like a new AR screen, showing Kohaku's D-Vatar on a 2D plane in the grassy area, waving to Kohaku. Then, a red ball of light with six bug-like wings flittered around the screen until it got near Kohaku's D-Vatar. A speech bubble then popped up with words: **"Hi! I'm Kukiran! I'm happy that you solved the riddle on the card! Now you can play my fun challenge for World 1-1!"** The words came with a cute young female voice. **"This one is easy! Press the Control Stick left or right to move your D-Vatar, hit the A Button to jump, and hold down the B Button for faster speed! If you can make it to the very end of the stage without losing all three of your lives, you'll win the game and inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster they control, which will win the Duel for you! But watch out for enemies! If you jump on them, they'll be destroyed! Good luck!"** Kukiran then flew off, Kohaku's D-Vatar watching it as it left.

"Sounds easy enough. And I'm in the mood for a fun challenge! It is ON!" Kohaku said, readying his Gamepad as his D-Vatar got ready to move.

**GO!**

Kohaku moved his Control Stick, making his D-Vatar move across the path. A Kuriboh shuffled across the path slowly, so Kohaku jumped on it, causing it to be knocked off the screen. "Hey, this is pretty cool!" Kohaku said as he kept going. His D-Vatar continued to hop, skip, and jump across the terrain, but he soon found an odd block. Not knowing what to do, Kohaku made his D-Vatar jumped around it until he saw what looked like a small vortex. "What's this thing?" He made his D-Vatar walk toward the vortex, which resulted in it being sucked in and being spit out in an underground cave area.

"Is anyone else weirded out by this?" Dizzy asked. Doc and Plata nodded, Doc still holding the camera, but Yoru's narcolepsy had kicked in, as he was sleeping on the ground.

There wasn't much to the cave, so Kohaku's D-Vatar just moved across the empty length until it reached another vortex on the end wall, which it was sucked into and popped out back in the main part of the area. The D-Vatar looked back and saw that it had bypassed a bunch of obstacles in the level. "Well, I guess that's handy." Kohaku mused, moving right along. After a bout of running, Kohaku found what looked like a small flagpole with a black flag on it. As his D-Vatar passed by the flag, a flash of light came of it with some confetti, and the flag changed to red.

**Checkpoint!**

"Wow, I'm only about halfway done! Longer level than I thought." Kohaku said as his D-Vatar continued on. He came across a Kuriboh walking along with a shell on its back, along with eight Kuribohs in a row behind it. Kohaku's D-Vatar skidded to a stop. "Whoa. This might get hairy. Maybe I'll deal with this guy first." His D-Vatar jumped onto the Kuriboh with the shell, but rather than knock it offscreen, it merely retreated under the shell. The D-Vatar scratched its head in confusion, but Kohaku saw the eight Kuribohs advancing. "Oh boy, gotta move!" He made his D-Vatar move, but he forgot to jump over the shell. It didn't actually matter, though, as the D-Vatar actually kicked the shell forward across the ground, knocking down all eight Kuribohs in a row. On the last one, a small chime was heard, and a "1UP" came out of it.

**Kohaku: 3 Lives**

"An extra life! Sweet!" Kohaku said with a positive response from his D-Vatar. Kohaku made the D-Vatar continue along the path, taking out Kuribohs. Some of them were Winged Kuribohs, but all they could do was hop, and one stomp was enough to take out their wings. Soon, Kohaku's D-Vatar came to a much larger flagpole, a black flag on top. A grin came onto Kohaku's face. "I know just what to do here! It is ON!" Moving the Control Stick and hitting A, Kohaku made his D-Vatar jump on top of the ledge in front of it to get on top of a tent, then made it leap right for the top of the flagpole, grabbing it right on top and sliding right down to the bottom, raising the black flag, which turned gold upon hitting the top.

**FINISH!**

**You Win!**

"Yatta, ha ha!" Kohaku's D-Vatar said squeakily as it did a victory dance, striking a pose at the end.

Then, Kukiran flew down and flitted around the D-Vatar's head before stopping near it. **"Way to go! You completed the challenge!"** She said. **"Now that you've beat this challenge, you can use the World Map in any Duel to play World 1-1 again! I'll see you again next time you use this, so I hope you can figure out the next riddle! Bye-bye!"** Kukiran flew off, and the AR screen turned white, Kohaku's D-Vatar jumping back through the gate portal into the world, rejoining his human partner. The red circle for 1-1 then turned blue, and slightly down the path, another red circle appeared. Everyone's vision was blinded by white, and when their vision came back, they were back in the original AR space, the game screen gone. Kukiran turned out to be right, as the scoreboard showed that Dizzy had taken the damage.

**Kohaku LP:100**

**Dizzy LP:0 – LOSER**

Kohaku's picture appeared in the AR space with the word "WIN", and a buzzer sounded. "Duel Clear!" Kohaku said with a peace sign.

Dizzy was smiling as he went over to Doc, taking his camera. "And there you have it, folks. Kohaku Yudin's Pixel HERO Deck is strong, and his Game Cards are exciting! The combo of them gave him a victory, and hopefully a hit video, ha ha!" He turned the camera at Kohaku. "Anything else to say for the internet masses, Koha-kun?"

"Just this: Keep those views comin', folks!" Kohaku said to the camera. "Dizzy-kun does this for you, y'know!"

"And CUT!" Dizzy said, stopping the recording. "I'll give it a little editing, and it's up on the site! You guys rock!" Kohaku grinned.

*Two Days Later*

Kohaku and his friends were eating lunch when he was on the receiving end of a headlock from behind. "Waagh!"

"What's up, internet star?" Dizzy's familiar voice asked as he gave Kohaku a noogie.

"Hahahaha, knock it off, man!" Kohaku play-griped, laughing. Dizzy started laughing as well, and soon everyone was laughing.

When they finally calmed down, Dizzy pulled out his Gamepad and brought up his website on the internet browser. "Check it out!" He showed them the status of the Duel Showcase video from two days ago.

Everyone's eyes bugged out of their heads. "200,000 hits?! In just two days?! Damn!" Kohaku cried.

"This site really does make videos go viral!" Plata cried.

"I must say, you really are running something amazing here, Dizzy." Doc mused.

"The other videos got huge hits, too!" Dizzy said. "Check out the comments on that Hamun girl's video!" He brought up the video in question.

"'Not sure if genuinely pissed off or if love at first ass-kicking'." Yoru read off the comment list. Plata burst out laughing at that.

"Yes, yes, good laugh. What's next?" Doc said, slightly annoyed. Dizzy flipped to the video of Ginju at the poker game.

The top comment was in all caps: _"HAAAAAAAAAAAAX."_

"If only this guy knew." Kohaku said.

Dizzy flipped back to the Duel Showcase video, looking through the comments. Among them were: _"You lucky bastard." "WTF was with that silver card?" "F**k you for having such epic cards!" "Wicked moves, Dizzy-sama!"_

"You certainly have a loyal clientele, Dizzy." Doc said. Then his eyes caught a certain comment, and he began snickering. "Guys, look."

He pointed at the comment, getting everyone's attention: _"Blazer and Cycloner painted the Duel red."_

A few seconds went by, then all five of them burst out laughing. Yoru doubled over onto his back from laughter. "Upvote that!" Kohaku said through his laughter. Dizzy did just that, pressing the thumbs-up next to the comment.

Finally, the five friends calmed down, panting. "Koha-kun, you just got yourself a new member to your little entourage. Hangin' out with you guys is both a blast and a viral opportunity!"

"The more, the merrier, Dizzy-kun! In this game we call life, there's no limit to the size of the party!" Kohaku said, fist-bumping Dizzy.

All of a sudden, Doc's Gamepad went off, showing that he got a message. "Mikuroto-kun is hosting a… Speed Zipline competition?"

"Speed… Zipline." Yoru said. "…I've had a lot of dreams, and not even I'VE seen that."

"It sounds stupid." Dizzy said. But then his eyes crossed with a grin. "…But stupid is what goes viral! Let's go!" He whipped out his camera. Doc sighed with a sweatdrop. Kohaku just laughed at them as Dizzy began bugging him for details.

**_*7 second music*_**

**_I will not lie down, roll over  
*3 second music*  
I will not just let it by  
*3 second music*_**

**_I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh  
You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero_**

**_I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now  
With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down  
Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow  
There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now_**

**_10…  
9…  
8…  
7…  
6… _**_(An image of Dizzy cracking his knuckles with a confident smirk appears, then he joins Kohaku's group.)_**_  
5…  
4…  
3…  
2…  
1…  
0…_**

* * *

*Preview*

Kohaku: I guess I'm not the only one who gets to awaken the challenges. Good thing I've got my friends with me.

Plata: Whoa… This thing looks cool! I can't WAIT to take it apart!

?: Ach! Have you any idea of what you have done, you fool?!

Kohaku: I guess that should be a lesson: Think about what you do before you do it!

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "As Pieces Or As A Whole: What Is Art?" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Pixel HERO - Chaos Needle  
Level 6 DARK Beast-Warrior  
ATK:2100/DEF:1800  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used twice: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls: Banish it until the End Phase.

Cooling Fan  
Level 3 WIND Machine  
ATK:1300/DEF:800  
If you would take damage: You can banish this card from your Graveyard: Halve that damage.

Crimson Cycloner  
Level 8 WIND Fiend  
ATK:2900/DEF:1300  
Cannot be Special Summoned unless it was Tribute Summoned. This card cannot activate its effects unless both players control at least 2 cards (except this card). Once per turn: You can activate the following effects, but they must be activated in this order, and must all be activated at once:  
* Destroy 1 card on each side of the field.  
* Return 1 card on each side of the field to its owner's hand.  
* Discard 1 card from both players' hands.  
* Add 1 random card from each player's Graveyards to their hands.

Pixel HERO - Brave Blade  
Level 4 EARTH Warrior  
ATK:1400/DEF:1600  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used three times: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. If your opponent declares a direct attack with a monster with 1600 or more ATK: You can Special Summon this card (from your Deck) in Defense Position. This effect of "Pixel HERO - Brave Blade" can only be used once per turn.

Pixel HERO - Speed Spike  
Level 3 WIND Beast-Warrior/Base  
ATK:900/DEF:1700  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used three times: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. If all monsters your opponent controls have higher ATK than this card's DEF: This card can attack your opponent directly. You can Tribute 1 "Pixel HERO" monster you control: This card's DEF becomes 0 until the End Phase.

Spike Topper  
Level 3 WIND Rock  
ATK:1600/DEF:200  
This card cannot attack monsters that have less than 1600 DEF.

Propulsion Fan  
Equip Spell Card  
Special Summon 1 Level 3 or below WIND monster from your Deck and equip it with this card. The equipped monster can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a WIND monster. If this card leaves the field: Return the equipped monster to your Deck.

Stock Transfer  
Normal Spell Card  
Discard 1 "Pixel HERO" monster from your hand: Special Summon 1 "Pixel HERO" monster with the same Level as the discarded monster from your Deck. It cannot attack this turn, and its effects are negated until the End Phase.

Vortex  
Normal Spell Card  
Banish any number of Spell or Trap Cards from your Graveyard, then banish the same number of Spell or Trap Cards that your opponent controls until the End Phase.

Dizzy Disc  
Normal Trap Card  
Target 1 monster your opponent controls: Its effects are negated this turn, and if it attacks, your opponent must toss a coin. If the result is Tails, negate the attack.

Mute Magic  
Normal Trap Card  
Negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent currently controls for two turns.

Pixel HERO - Chaos Speed Spike  
Quality 3 LIGHT Beast-Warrior/Composition  
ATK:2800/DEF:0  
"Pixel HERO - Speed Spike" (must be Level 3) + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
During your Main Phase, you can deactivate 4 of this card's Composition Materials: This card can attack your opponent directly this turn. During each End Phase that this card has less than 4 active Composition Materials: Pay 700 Life Points to reactivate 1 of this card's inactive Composition Materials, or destroy this card.

Tornado Escape  
2-Player VS Game Card  
Move the Control Stick to turn left or right, and repeatedly press the A Button to scramble in the direction faced. Being hit by an obstacle will cause the player to fall behind. The player who reaches the top of the tornado first wins, and their opponent loses 1000 Life Points.

Get A Clue  
1-Player Game Card  
A clue is given to you. Tap the Touch Screen to select an object that might match the clue. If the clue matches, the player gains 1 Clear Counter. If it doesn't, the player gains 1 Miss Counter. If the player gets 5 Clear Counters, they win and draw 2 cards. If the player gets 3 Miss Counters, they lose.

World Map  
Silver Game Card  
If this card is chosen during a Game Card Intermission: The owner of the card can choose and play any of the challenges on-screen.

World 1-1: Grassland Stroll  
1-Player Game Card  
This game is accessed through "World Map". Move Control Stick to move left or right in the play area, press the A Button to jump, and hold the B Button to run. Vortexes warp the player to other areas. The player starts with 3 Lives. If the player is hit by a Kuriboh, 1 Life is lost. If all Lives are lost, the player loses. Reach the end and grab the flagpole to win. If the player wins, their opponent takes 500 damage for each monster they control.

* * *

**Vile: With a new friend added to the mix, Kohaku's life is only just getting started. But the world within the silver card has been seen. Who knows what secrets it holds? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! See ya!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	4. Level 004

**Vile: Whoof! Another late-nighter! This took me WAY longer than I wanted it to!**

**Kohaku: So much for the size of Chapters 2 and 3 being the basic Chapter size, huh?**

**Vile: You aren't kidding, Kohaku! It also didn't help that most of the cards I'm using aren't even mine. I hope RK777 isn't mad at me for the way I tweaked them!**

**Kohaku: Dude, he LET you tweak them. You're worried about nothing!**

**Vile: Good point. Anyhoo, disclaimer's on the first page, any bolded cards are either mine or Rocket Knight 777's (tweaked by me). Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 004: As Pieces Or As a Whole: What Is Art?

The sound of a welding torch was heard blazing, sparks flying into the air. A certain tanned girl had a pair of green welding goggles over her eyes, her jacket discarded and a white doo rag with black spots on her head, as she blew her welding torch over a thin circular piece of metal. Her mouth became a smirk as the metal turned a glowing red. "Just a little more…" Soon, she shut off the torch. "Perfecto."

Meanwhile, Kohaku, Doc, Yoru, and Dizzy knocked on the front door of the house, the door being answered by a man with black hair and yellow eyes. "Ah, hola, everyone." The man said with a smile.

"Hey, Vuelo-san." Kohaku said. "Plata-chan was supposed to meet up with us earlier. Is she here?"

Out of nowhere, the sound of a saw blade whirring came from another end of the house, shearing through what sounded like metal. "I guess that answers our question." Doc said.

"I wonder what she's working on this time." Yoru said as the group walked inside. Dizzy introduced himself to Plata's father as he entered.

Dizzy looked around inside the house. It had a rustic charm to it, with some mementos from Mexico. However, there were also some impressive metal sculptures around. The gray-haired boy pulled out his video camera and began videotaping an intricate figure of Elemental HERO Sparkman. "These sculptures are sweet! How did you manage to get such detail in these?"

"I've been a metal-worker for about 20 years now. I typically perform construction work, but I took up making trinkets as a hobby." Mr. Vuelo said, walking next to Dizzy. "You can only imagine how happy I was when my daughter told me she wanted to go into metal-working as well. She's a natural!"

From elsewhere in the house, the saw blade cut out. "Fantastico!" Plata cried in joy.

"Yeah, a natural at breaking stuff." Kohaku said, chuckling.

Mr. Vuelo chuckled as well. "You have to learn to destroy before you can learn to build." He said.

As Dizzy continued recording, the group headed through a back door to a large workshop where spare metal was lying around. At a workbench, Plata was pounding a small dome-shaped piece of gold-colored metal with a mallet, the metal apparently heated. Another piece of gold metal was nearby, though it appeared to have been pounded into a flat circle. Plata noticed them and smirked. "Hey, guys! Give me just un segundo (one second)!" She resumed pounding the metal until it was just as flat as the other piece. With a breath, Plata put down the mallet and removed her goggles. Sweat drenched her forehead, which she wiped off with a nearby rag as she grabbed a small hose and quick-cooled the metal with a jet of water.

"What are those?" Dizzy asked as Plata wiped the water off the metal.

Plata smirked. "Lemme just put the finishing touches and you'll see." Grabbing a nearby drill, Plata whirred it up and drilled a hole in the top of each metal piece. "Take old alarm clock bells, pound 'em flat, drill a hole in each…" She grabbed what looked like two key rings with a small clip threaded through each, and threaded the rings through the holes in the metal. "Add a clip ring to each, and uno, dos, tres (one, two, three)…" She clipped each clip to her ear lobes, the metal pieces dangling. She looked at her friends and father with a smile. "Cheap and stylish earrings!"

Her friends let out a breath. "Nice, Plata-chan! Jewelry stores ain't got nothing on this!" Kohaku said. Plata closed her eyes with a confident chuckle and smile.

"But couldn't someone just pull the clip off? Wouldn't that hurt?" Yoru wondered.

"Yoru-kun, this is Plata-chan we're talking about. Do you really think someone would want her torch pointed at them?" Kohaku said.

"Good point." Yoru said, defeated.

"How do they look, papi?" Plata asked.

Mr. Vuelo looked at the makeshift earrings with scrutiny. "Almost insultingly simple…" He then smiled. "…but an unexpected charm. You have a knack for creating makeshift jewelry, mi hija (my daughter)."

Plata giggled. "Gracias, papi (Thanks, dad)."

"Hey, maybe you can show that off at a craft booth at the Self-Art Plaza shindig in two days." Kohaku said. "Earrings made of alarm bells? How do you top that?"

The Mexican girl gave a thoughtful look, then clapped her hands. "Yeah! I can kick ass there!"

"If you don't destroy your own stuff or someone else's beforehand." Doc said matter-of-factly.

"HEY!" Plata shouted. Everyone else started laughing.

**_*8 second intro*_**

**_Don't give up the fight! Play on!  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

**_*rest*_**

**_With every step you take you grow  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

**_Level yourself up, and you can make it through  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

**_It is ON!_**

*The Next Day*

Delta High's central area was getting itself set up for the Self-Art Plaza that was occurring tomorrow. Apparently students were allowed to work on their crafts during their break time, as several students were putting together crafts. Kohaku and his friends, minus Plata, walked into the central area and looked around at the show, Dizzy pulling out his video camera. "Man, this place is bustling, and the Plaza doesn't even start until tomorrow." He remarked.

"Hey, check that out." Kohaku said, pointing elsewhere. One craft that was in the area was a large clock with a puzzle piece design that appeared to be made out of Styrofoam, with decorated sticks for clock hands that were actually moving, but instead of 12 numbers, there were 24 of them, with the hour hand positioned right after the "11", the minute hand currently positioned over the "16".

Doc checked his Gamepad: 11:40. "It has a crude appearance, but it is functional. Impressive." He said.

All of a sudden, something was heading right at Yoru. "WHOA!" He shouted, ducking under it.

"Gomen-nasai!" A boy cried, rushing past him and grabbing what looked like an iron sphere. "I told you to fix that spring loader, you bakas!" He shouted back to a group of kids who had a makeshift catapult.

"We're trying! This stupid thing is being an asshole!" A boy in the group said, trying to put the catapult back into position.

"Load that thing with something less lethal, man! You almost took his head off!" Kohaku shouted at them.

Doc shook his head. "Some people get so caught up in things that they forget what they're made of."

"The catapult looks like an impressive piece of work, though." Dizzy said, his camera active. "Beta High North didn't have a thing like this. As I mentioned, it's a pretty brutish school."

Kohaku was looking around. "Hmm. I don't see Plata-chan anywhere. Anyone see her?" Negative responses came from all three of them.

"Looking for Vuelo-san?" A familiar voice asked. Cleo walked up to them. "I saw her head outside not too long ago. Muttered something about finding new stuff to work with."

**_(Cleo Hamun Voice Actor: Shannon Chan-Kent as Beatrice "Trixie" Sting from Slugterra) (A/N: You readers may want to search for a soundbyte.)_**

"Hmm… that probably means she's looking through the dumpsters for metal to work with." Doc mused.

"Is she entering the Self-Art Plaza tomorrow? Those earrings she was wearing looked beautiful!" Cleo chirped.

Kohaku grinned. "Plata-chan's got a knack for flair, huh?"

"Mm-hmm. I never expected that out of her." Cleo admitted.

The sound of something rolling along the ground was heard, then a THUMP. A certain head of lavender hair was missing, so it was clear that Yoru had fallen asleep again. Looking down, he was snoring and drooling slightly, making Kohaku snicker, but his drool was getting on a small disc-like trinket, painted like it was made of stone. "Get off my art, you little sloth!" A voice yelled. A ticked-off girl with raspberry-colored hair and purple eyes rushed up. She was wearing a red shirt, a pink skirt, a large white artist's smock over her neck, and an old-fashioned red beret in her hair. "ACK!" She quickly swiped the disc off the floor, pulling out a rag and wiping it down furiously with a freaked-out look.

"What's got her panties in a bunch?" Plata's voice asked as the girl walked into the central area, a brown bag with metal clanking within slung over her shoulder.

The pinkette looked at Plata with a stern look. "Is this YOUR friend with the drool coming out of his mouth?" She asked, pointing at Yoru, who Kohaku was helping up, waking him up by saying his last name.

"Yeah." Plata replied, only to get whacked with the disc the girl was holding. This ticked Plata off. "OI! What'd I do?!"

"Your little friend contaminated one of my masterpieces!" The girl said, holding out the disc.

However, Cleo swiped it from her hand. "You call this a masterpiece?" She asked skeptically. "It looks to me like the base on an old sundial."

"'Sundial'? You obviously have no taste in art!" The pinkette said, snatching the disc back. "Point out one thing here that's made of better quality than this." Without missing a beat, Kohaku, Doc, Dizzy, Yoru, and Cleo all pointed at Plata's earrings. "Those? They look like they were ripped from a coin album!"

"Make that an alarm clock, Little Miss Trousseau." Plata said. "But they don't even need any touching up to look muy fabuloso." She flicked one of the earrings, making a small dinging sound from the metal.

The pinkette didn't look happy. "First of all, my name is not 'Little Miss Trousseau'." She placed a hand by her chest in a haughty gesture. "You may address me as Kaneko Batosei, Future Art Legend of Delta High."

"Kaneko Batosei…" Dizzy mused. "Hey Koha-kun, you think she'd mind if we shortened that to 'Baka'?" **_(A/N: Read in Japanese naming fashion, the first syllables of both her names are "Ba" and "Ka".)_** He began laughing, followed quickly by Kohaku and Yoru snickering like heck, Kohaku failing to hold back his laughter. Doc was merely chuckling.

Plata burst out laughing as well while Cleo giggled into her hand, making steam come off of Kaneko's head. "You lousy peons…"

"Look, girl. You're a LONG way from being an expert in art. So am I." Plata said. "Then again, I'm only doing this for the fun of it."

"With what? A sack full of garbage?" Kaneko asked, pointing at the sack she was holding.

"I consider it 'all-purpose metal'." Plata said. "One man's trash is this girl's treasure."

"No amount of glitter, lacquer, or paint could turn whatever you collected in that bag into a masterpiece." Kaneko said.

"I detect a severe amount of jealousy in your voice, Batosei-chan." Doc said, making Kaneko whip his head toward him. "Perhaps she can do what you can't: Turn apparent junk into makeshift jewelry."

"Do NOT, compare me to her." Kaneko said, dead serious. She looked back at Plata. "Fine. You want to see who's the better artist?"

Plata looked confused. "'Better artist'? What part of 'I'm doing this for fun' did you not understand? I don't care about being better than you! I only care about showing people what I can make! You being an 'artist' and all, you should know that." She used finger quotes over "artist".

"'Baka' is really seeming like an appropriate nickname right now." Cleo added, making the guys nearby snicker again.

Kaneko's head steamed again. "I don't have to take this… You're going down tomorrow." She stormed off without another word.

"Hopefully you got something good, Baka!" Dizzy called out. More steam came off Kaneko's head as she kept moving.

"Wow, someone's touchy." Yoru said.

"Gee, ya think?" Kohaku jeered, laughing.

*Later That Day*

Kohaku, Dizzy, Doc, Plata, and Yoru walked out of the school building. "Man, who knows what I can make out of this stuff." Plata said, holding up the sack.

"What did you fish out of the dumpsters, anyway?" Kohaku asked.

Plata grinned. "Some good trinkets that people tossed out." She opened the sack and reached in.

A strong odor came out of the bag. "Whoo! That stuff is ripe!" Dizzy said, plugging his nose.

"Ah, the air freshener I put in there must've been overpowered." Plata said, pulling out a small air freshener. "Eh, maybe I can use it for something."

"Let's see whatcha got." Kohaku said, reaching inside. He pulled out what looked like an old action figure.

Doc looked at the figure. "This figure is surprisingly in good condition. And lacking small parts, too."

Plata didn't look happy. "Hmm, that would make it difficult to take apart."

"Hey, Plata-chan, if this thing gets a good cleaning, you mind if I keep it? Hakaimo might like this thing." Kohaku said with a smile.

"Sure thing, Koha-kun." Plata said, Yoru rummaging through her bag.

Yoru pulled out two discarded golf clubs. "Someone gave up golf recently."

"And they apparently had a bad kitchen incident." Plata said, pulling out a skillet with badly warped metal. "I was mainly grabbing random pieces of metal. You take what you can get."

Yoru stuck his hand back in the sack, but felt something that had an odd shape. "Nanda…?" He puuled out a very odd… object made out of metal. It had a wooden block as a base. "What the heck is THIS thing?"

The others were just as confused. "I think it's supposed to be some dude in a super spin." Dizzy said.

"No, it doesn't look humanoid. It's some kind of… jellyfish, maybe?" Doc thought.

"Just looks like a bunch of metal bent into bumps." Kohaku said. He got a couple 'Thank you, Captain Obvious' looks from the other boys, confusing him. "What?"

Plata, however, was looking at the odd metal… thing with an awed look. All of a sudden, her face twitched into a rather eerie grin. "Uh… you feelin' okay, Plata?"

"…Better than okay." She said eerily. "Who KNOWS what I could make after tearing this baby to shreds!" She held the odd object up with a strange laugh.

"…Should we run?" Dizzy asked, nervous.

"If she pulls out her torch, yes." Kohaku said. All of a sudden, Kohaku felt something buzzing in his pocket. "Eh?" He pulled out something from his pocket: The Silver Game Card. "This thing?"

"What's going on, Koha-kun?" Dizzy asked.

"Ya got me, Dizzy-kun." Kohaku said. "Huh? Hey, the text on the card changed again!" His friends gathered together and saw the new text.

**_You did well to start off this game  
But the future will not be so tame  
To truly win all that lies within  
More players are needed to join in  
A friendly person you are, it's true  
So this will be no issue to you  
Those close to you will face these games  
Just as you will do, all the same_**

"This is weird." Yoru said. "What do you think it means?"

Kohaku was silent for a second, flashing back to when he played that odd game as a result of the Silver Card. "I solved the riddle of that card and unlocked a weird game. Maybe you guys can unlock these games, too?"

"Huh. If that's the case, talk about multiplayer." Dizzy said. Then, the card text changed again, revealing another riddle.

**_Pass the torch to the one with the torch  
Whose metal monsters slice and scorch  
Find the secret of evil Renaissance  
And you'll find 1-2, which your soul truly wants_**

Kohaku smiled. "This is getting weirder by the minute… and more fun by the minute. You gotta love the mystery of this." He said, getting positive responses from his friends.

*Later* *Plata's House*

Slamming the wooden base on the desk of the workshop, Plata removed her jacket and pulled her doo-rag from her pocket, wrapping it on her head. "Se desguace tiempo. (It's scrappin' time.)" She said, grabbing the saw and whirring it to life. "I don't know what you were… but I know what you're gonna be!" The sound of saw blade shearing metal was the next thing that was heard.

*Meanwhile* *Another House*

Oddly designs objects were arranged throughout a bedroom, but the sound of things being moved and frantic panting was heard. "Where… where is it?!" Someone said, rummaging through the stuff. "I know I had it with me! Where did I put it?!"

*The Next Day* *Break Time*

"Whoof! Surprise quiz in class! What kind of ship was that teacher running?" Kohaku complained as he and Doc headed from class to the Central Area for the Plaza.

"I thought you were the kind of kid who doesn't slack in school." Doc said with a small smirk.

Kohaku gave an annoyed look. "Hey, I don't slack! You've seen my grades from past years."

"I know, I know, I'm joking." Doc said. "Granted, you do say you'd rather Duel than go to school, am I wrong?"

Kohaku chuckled and placed a hand behind his head. "Can't argue with that, Doc-kun. You're right." The two of them met up with Dizzy and Yoru on their way to the Plaza. The Central Area was covered with numerous stands where people were showing off the crafts they had made.

Doc looked over and chuckled. "Looks like those guys finally secured their catapult."

As the group passed by Kaneko Batosei's booth, Dizzy couldn't help but say it. "Nice booth, Baka!"

He heard the steam come off of Kaneko's head again. "Shut up!" She yelled, and Dizzy felt something nail him in the back of the head, making his eyes cross with a "cuckoo" sound. He still wore a grin, though, making him look goofy.

"What a way with the ladies, Dizzy-kun." Kohaku said, making him and Dizzy laugh.

"Over here, guys!" Plata called out to them. They saw her at her own little stand, so they headed over. Plata had numerous trinkets that she made out of the stuff from the dumpster. One of them was a charm bracelet made out of a soup can, the sharp edges smoothed out and the insides lined with silver-painted metal, matching the outside, which had also been painted silver. Her clock bell earrings were on the booth as well.

"Dang, Plata-chan, this is some awesome stuff!" Kohaku said, picking up what looked like a bunch of gold-painted rings.

Doc picked up a small metal figure, scrutinizing it with Yoru. The arms were weird. "Are those clock hands on this thing?" Yoru asked.

"Yep. Found another alarm clock in the dumpster. Waste not, want not!" The Mexican girl replied.

"Oh my gosh! This is beautiful!" Cleo's excited voice was heard. The group immediately looked over and saw their Class President looking awed at a gold necklace with a blue charm on Plata's booth. "How did you find this?!"

Plata giggled. "It's actually just an old bike chain. Some intense cleaning and some gold paint made it as good as gold. The charm is a sawed-off corner of an old ice pack."

Cleo, confused, felt the charm. It WAS an old ice pack. "Amazing… Your adaptability is impressive, Vuelo-san!" Plata grinned sheepishly.

"Make room. I need to see this." The voice was Kaneko Batosei's, who had walked up to the booth. Her purple eyes scanned over Plata's collectables with fierce scrutiny. "Hmm… this is actually adequate. Still junk, but adequately covered."

"Look, Baka, if all you came to do is berate my stuff, then go back to your own booth." Plata said, getting in her face. "I'm not gonna take this crap today."

Kaneko's head steamed again. "Stop calling me that, you lousy peon!" Kohaku and Dizzy were laughing, and Kaneko noticed. "Silence!"

"Oh, take a joke, Kaneko-chan!" Kohaku said. "We're just messing around!"

Kaneko sighed with an eye roll. "Idiots…" She looked back at Plata. "Is that all you have to muster?"

Plata remembered something and grinned. "Oh yeah! Check out what I made out of that weird thing I found!" She began rummaging underneath her booth.

"This oughta be good." Yoru said, rubbing his eyes.

Soon, Plata pulled out a cloth-covered object, slamming it on the booth. "Observe, my friends!" She removed the cloth, revealing the wooden base she found yesterday, but the metal on it had been removed, disassembled, and re-welded together in a much more discernible shape: A model the monster Giant Red Seasnake, painted accordingly, arranged in a spiral shape with its tail submerged into the base, painted to look like water with a splash effect where the tail is.

Kohaku, Doc, Yoru, Dizzy, and Cleo all moved closer to the figure to see it, their eyes in an awed expression. "This thing is cool… It looks so real!" Cleo said.

"Perfect spiral physics!" Doc said, tracing the edge.

"Love the color work!" Dizzy said.

"The base is neat, too." Yoru said.

"You've outdone yourself here, Plata-chan!" Kohaku told her, making her grin confidently.

However, Kaneko was staring at the figure with an odd look on her face. Plata was confused. "Kaneko? Hello?" She waved her hand in front of her face. Then, all of a sudden, Kaneko swiped the Giant Red Seasnake figure from the booth. "OI!"

Kaneko looked fearful as she flipped the figure to look at the bottom of the base. Scanning the bottom of the wood, her eyes went deathly wide for a minute, then she leveled a death glare at Plata. "You… THIEF!"

"Nani?! Who are you calling a thief?!" Plata shouted. "I found that thing in a dumpster!"

"Then explain this!" Kaneko growled, showing her the bottom of the base. Plata saw a series of kanji on it that spelled out Kaneko Batosei's name.

Plata's eyes widened. "Oh my freaking god! I had no idea that this thing was yours! But how did it end up in the dumpster?"

"You stole it! I'm sure of it!" Kaneko growled.

"Why the hell would Plata steal your stupid figure? None of us even knew what it was supposed to be!" Dizzy said. "You really are a 'Baka'!"

Kaneko steamed again. "It was my most recent masterpiece: Stallions in Stride! And you dismantled it and made it into… THIS!"

"Those were horses?" Kohaku, Dizzy, Doc, Plata, and Yoru all said at the same time.

A tic mark was forming on Kaneko's head. "You insolent peons have no respect for true art…"

"Oi! I turned your 'horses' into a damn good monster of a sea snake! The least I could get is a compliment!" Plata shot at her.

"I would never give you the credit for this. You ruined my vision!" Kaneko growled, causing the two girls to growl at each other with lightning going between their eyes.

…Which was soon blocked by Kohaku pushing them away from each other. "All right, cool it, ladies!" He said. "It's clear that we've got a big misunderstanding on our hands. Is there any way we can make nice out of all this?"

"Hmph. I'll only get over this if Vuelo drops from the Art Plaza." Kaneko said adamantly.

"Isn't that a little… harsh?" Cleo asked.

"I don't care. Take your pick, Vuelo. Drop out, or keep me as an enemy." Kaneko said.

Plata made a thoughtful gesture. "I can't pick, so I say we go to our default Plan C."

"'Default Plan C'?" Cleo asked.

"When any of us are deadlocked into a choice we don't want to make, we compromise with a Duel to settle the stakes." Doc said. "It's more helpful than it seems."

"Deal. I never back down from the possibility of a Duel." Kaneko said, not even a millisecond after Doc finished his sentence. "Maybe you'll see who's better once my Deck crushes yours."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Baka." Plata retorted, making Kaneko steam again. "I may not care about any glory from this Art Plaza, but I worked hard to make this stuff, so I'm not going to drop it all so easily!"

*A Minute Later*

Everyone was set up for the incoming Duel. "You wanna go Game Mode on or off for this?" Plata asked.

"On. I always Duel with it on." Kaneko replied. "Let's go!"

"You're on!" Plata said, pulling off her jacket and tossing it aside.

The jacket happened to land right on top of Doc's head, making him pull it off with a groan. "Why does this thing always land on me?" He complained.

"¡Vamos! (Let's go!)" Plata cried, grabbing her D-Controller box from her pocket. "D-Controller, switch on!" She threw her D-Controller into the air, which unfolded and clacked onto her wrist. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" Her Gamepad attached to her D-Controller, the Touch Screen flashing.

"D-Controller, switch on!" Kaneko caught her D-Controller on her wrist, which was colored a bright burgundy. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" Her Gamepad attached to her D-Controller, the screen flashing.

"D-Gazer, set!" Both players placed their D-Gazers over their eyes, Kaneko having a silver D-Gazer with a pink lens.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Everyone's D-Gazers flashed, including some who stuck around to watch. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

**Plata LP:4000**

**Kaneko LP:4000**

"I'm going first! Atai no turn! Draw!" Plata drew her card. "Magic Card, **Scrap Dump**, hatsudo! This card lets me send 2 Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters from my Deck to my Graveyard!" Two cards slid out, which she took and sent to her Graveyard before picking another card. "Mallet Crusher, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as what looked like a bipedal dank green robot with a VERY fiendish look to it, a large bell on top of its head. It had thick "lips" and crooked "teeth", but the hands were both replaced with two huge hammers.

**Mallet Crusher: Lv.4 EARTH Machine ATK:1800/DEF:100**

"Kaado ni mai settei! Turn end!" Her two facedowns emerged.

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Kaneko drew her card. "Behold the true power of my vision. Magic Card, **Twisted Vision**, hatsudo. This card allows me to send any number of Cursed Art monsters from my Deck to my Graveyard."

"'Cursed Art'?" Plata was confused.

"I wouldn't expect you to know about them. The total number of Cursed Arts I send to the Graveyard… is 14!" Kaneko removed most of the monsters from her Deck and placed them in her Graveyard. On the field, 14 glowing purple orbs appeared one-by-one. "Now, my Cursed Arts shall merge!" The 14 orbs flew into a center area and began to form one large orb that grew darker and crackled with purple lightning. "Yūgō Shoukan!" All of a sudden, an odd popsicle-stick-like sword shot out from the orb, followed by numerous strangely-colored spikes. "Arawareyo. Cursed Art… Dark Collage Monstrosity!" With a flash of electricity, the orb surged in size before exploding into what could only be described as a horrific amalgam of over 20 different works of art. Spikes jutted from one end, the chest was made of stone, the head was circular and blank… There was no accurate description for this thing, only… a collage.

**Cursed Art – Dark Collage Monstrosity: Lv.9 DARK Fiend/Fusion ATK:0/DEF:0**

"Oh, damn." Dizzy said.

"That has got to be the freakiest Fusion Monster I have ever seen." Kohaku said.

Plata had a raised eyebrow. "THIS thing… is considered art?"

"Only one with true vision can see the masterpiece that it is." Kaneko said. "But as masterful as it is, it is also very deadly. Dark Collage Monstrosity no kouka hatsudo. Upon its Fusion Summon, for every Cursed Art monster I used to Summon it, it gains one Art Piece Counter." Odd purple counters began to line its body. "And for each Art Piece Counter it has, my Collage gains 700 Attack Points and 400 Defense Points."

**Cursed Art – Dark Collage Monstrosity ATK:9800/DEF:5600 14 Art Piece Counters**

"¡Madre de dios! Those stats are off the charts!" Plata cried.

_'This seems like way too much Attack Points for this early in the series. It's only the third Duel!'_ Kohaku thought.

"Unfortunately, it's not without repercussions. Since I used 14 Cursed Arts, my Collage is unable to attack for 14 turns."

"…Sounds like a waste to me." Doc said.

"Not really." Kaneko said, picking another card. "Cursed Art – Angry Stickman, Shoukan!" Her monster merely emerged as a framed piece of paper with a crudely drawn stickman on it.

**Cursed Art – Angry Stickman: Lv.1 DARK Fiend/Base ATK:0/DEF:0**

"A Base Monster. Now I see! That Fusion Summon was merely a ploy to fill her Graveyard for a Composition Summon." Cleo mused.

"Engage Composition Maneuver!" Kaneko declared. All of a sudden, three other strange art-like "monsters" emerged: A fiend in a painting with its arm reaching out, an odd smiley face made of uncooked macaroni, and a painting that looked similar to La Femme au Cheval. "Watashi wa **Cursed Art – Haunted Portrait, Mac 'n' Slash, Cubism Creature** to, Reberu Ichi no Angry Stickman de Shinajaizu!" The four pieces of art formed a circle and all began to glow purple, their energy converging in the center as a pure purple energy ball. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai!" The energy ball flashed, and the art pieces, sufficiently far enough away from it, changed into Soul Towers and fired beams of purple lightning at the sphere, causing it to change shape. "Kōzu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Cursed Art… Found Useless Unliving!" The monster appeared to resemble a massive version of the monster Skull Servant, complete with its purple cloth. However, some parts of it were… off. The bony hands had rounded fingers instead of claws, the jaws were a dull silver color, and the head seemed too round, not fully skull-like. The cloth also had no rips in it.

**Cursed Art – Found Useless Unliving: Quality 1 DARK Fiend/Composition ATK:1000/DEF:150 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Magic Card, **Found Art Creation**, hatsudo! By revealing a Cursed Art Composition Monster in my Extra Deck and paying 200 Life Points for each monster that would be needed to Summon it, I can Special Summon it directly from my Extra Deck!" A Composition Monster appeared on the AR screen: Cursed Art – Found Rubbish Rose. "With four monsters needed, I pay 800 Life Points!" Kaneko was covered with a purple aura that sapped her Life Points.

**Kaneko LP:3200**

With the pieces of the aura, however, four purple portals were created, revealing four new pieces of art: A painting of what looked like birds (noted as little Vs), a painting of three suns (red, yellow, blue) in a triangle, and a painting of the inside of an empty jail cell, and a stone statue of an American Civil War general on a horse. "Watashi wa **Cursed Art – Birds in the Distance, Shining Enlightenment from the Tri-Suns, Imprisoning Frame** to, Reberu Roku no** Nightmare Equestrian** de Shinajaizu!" The four art pieces converged their energy into the center, forming a large pure purple energy sphere, then they became Soul Towers and fired purple lightning at the sphere, which changed shape. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan! Arawareyo… Cursed Art – Found Rubbish Rose!" The energy ball had become a large model of the monster Rose Tentacles, but like the Skull Servant copy, it looked different than the actual monster. This copy had almost none of the same colors as the original: The steam and vines were shades of gray, the leaves were black, and the petals were a mix of red, yellow, green, white, and black. Notably, though, the vines were much thinner than normal, and the leaves and petals seemed uncharacteristically straight.

**Cursed Art – Found Rubbish Rose: Quality 6 DARK Fiend/Composition ATK:2000/DEF:950 4 Active Soul Towers**

"But I am not finished! Found Rubbish Rose no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating two of its Soul Towers, I can add one card from my Graveyard to my hand." Two of the Towers went back, ceasing their lightning, and the Rose Tentacles copy dug one of its vines into a purple portal that had opened. "I retrieve my Found Art Creation!" The vine pulled out the card she had just used, adding it to her hand. However, as this happened, parts of the vines appeared to rip, revealing what looked like wires, and some of the petals began to seemingly rust.

**Found Rubbish Rose: 2 Active Soul Towers**

"This allows me to activate it again, paying 800 more Life Points to call forth yet another Cursed Art Composition Monster!" The purple aura surrounded her again, sapping her Life Points.

**Kaneko LP:2400**

From the new portals, more art pieces emerged: An odd golem made out of various junk (including a large boom box), a large stone block with a conical hole drilled through it, a stone bust of an old man, and a copy of A Sunday Afternoon. "Watashi wa **Cursed Art – Modern Monster, Descent Into Darkness, Fiendish Bust** to, Reberu Go no **Pointillism Poltergeist** de Shinajaizu!" Once again, the art pieces formed a purple energy sphere before changing into Soul Towers, firing purple lightning at the changing energy mass. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan! Arawareyo! Cursed Art… Found Engine Eagle!" The being emerged from the energy as a large version of Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle. Again, something was off: The wings looked oddly straight, and the feathers had only one layer instead of two, with the ridge gaps being farther apart. The cobalts on the wings also had weird white markings on them. Its beak was black instead of yellow, and its tail feathers had bandages wrapped around them. Most striking, though, was the cobalt necklace: It looked very shoddy.

**Cursed Art – Found Engine Eagle: Quality 5 DARK Fiend/Composition ATK:2150/DEF:1950 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Damn! 3 Composition Summons and a Fusion Summon in one turn!" Dizzy cried.

Yoru came up off the floor, looking around. He apparently just woke up from a narcoleptic episode. "Nani? Crud, I missed it!"

"What kind of weird monsters are these?" Plata wondered.

"Expertly crafted scale models of some of the most famous monsters in history." Kaneko described. "Sure, they could use some touching up, but it's not much of a bother. Now, to wipe you out! Found Engine Eagle no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating two Composition Materials, two Magic and Trap Cards you control are sent back to your Deck!" Two Towers went offline, and Engine Eagle took to the air, an odd whirring sound being heard. Then, with a powerful flap, blue wind shot out from the wings, blowing away Plata's facedowns back to her Deck. "And for each one, you receive 300 points of damage!" The wind blew over Plata with a razor effect. As this happened, though, the tops of its wings appeared to also be sliced, revealing what looked like some kind of metal underneath, and the beak appeared to rust.

"K-Kuso!" She groaned.

**Plata LP:3400**

**Found Engine Eagle: 2 Active Soul Towers**

"Now, time for some damage. Found Engine Eagle, attack Mallet Crusher!" Kaneko ordered. With an oddly unfitting caw, the eagle darted down toward the hammer-handed robot.

Plata, however, smirked. "Mallet Crusher no kouka hatsudo! By discarding a Machine-Type monster, your attack is cancelled!" Raising its arms, Mallet Crusher stopped Engine Eagle dead in its tracks by crushing its beak between its hammers.

"Ouch…" Several spectators said.

Engine Eagle wriggled a bit to get itself free, but its beak was all bent and crumpled. "And as a bonus, your monster loses 600 Attack Points."

**Engine Eagle ATK:1550**

"Hmph! You must be proud of yourself. But I've got more than this! Rubbish Rose, follow up!" The Rose Tentacles copy rose two of its vines and slammed the leaves together, bringing them up like two hands for a large chop or a large sword. Regardless, the leaves came straight down and slammed Mallet Crusher into the dirt, destroying it.

**Plata LP:3200**

"Now, Useless Unliving, attack Vuelo directly!" The Skull Servant let out what sounded like two breaths, then, out of nowhere, purple smog shot out from its mouth, blowing over the field.

"Ugh! This stuff reeks!" Cleo complained, plugging her nose like everyone else.

"Anybody got an air freshener?" Kohaku asked.

**Plata LP:2200**

"Your shoddy monster didn't stand a chance." Kaneko said. "Turn end."

"Okay, if it's hardball you want to play, then let's play hardball, Baka!" Plata said with a smirk, making Kaneko steam again.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** Plata loaded four Game Cards into her D-Controller while Kaneko loaded five. The cards appeared and were cycled through before landing on one of Plata's Game Cards. "GEAR GOAL." An image of what looked look like a huge factory with a lot of large unmoving gears appeared in the AR field. Plata and Kaneko's D-Vatars rushed into view and took their positions, the screen positioned like a 2D split-screen sidescroller, Plata on top and Kaneko on bottom. **"MOVE CONTROL STICK LEFT OR RIGHT TO MOVE AND PRESS A TO JUMP. WATCH THE TIMING OF THE GEARS TO CROSS TO THE NEXT ONE. GREEN GEARS ARE CHECKPOINTS: IF A PLAYER FALLS INTO A PIT, THEY WILL RESPAWN AFTER THE LAST GREEN GEAR THEY PASSED. THE WINNER MAY DRAW ONE CARD."** The gears cranked slightly before moving.

**GO!**

The two D-Vatars moved toward the clockwise-moving first gear. Kaneko tried to jump first, but ended up jumping too early, making her D-Vatar miss the tooth it could've landed on. Plata's D-Vatar, however, made it on with a slightly later jump, letting the gear carry her over, but Kaneko's D-Vatar managed to get on shortly after. The next gear was moving counter-clockwise. Kaneko, again, tried to rush it and jumped on a gear tooth, but it quickly spun her into the pit below, causing her to have to respawn at the start, while Plata hopped on a tooth that was higher up, then quickly kept jumping to avoid the same fate. By the time the first green gear was reached, Plata had a sizable lead. "Ugh, this is NOT my type of game!" Kaneko complained. Plata could only laugh and keep playing. Plata's experience proved invaluable, as it took practically no time at all for Plata to reach the end before Kaneko did.

**FINISH!**

**Plata Wins!**

Plata's D-Vatar held up a double V sign with a grin, but quickly looked behind itself when it held a squeaky scream, seeing Kaneko's D-Vatar being pulled by high-speed gears, making Plata's D-Vatar laugh at it. **"PLATA VUELO HAS WON AND MAY DRAW ONE CARD."** Plata drew the card, and the AR screen vanished, their Game Cards being ejected from the Gamepads.

"Man, Baka's pathetic at platform games." Yoru commented, getting another flare of steam from her head.

"Atai no turn! Draw!" Plata drew her card. "Junk Spitter, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a large dark burgundy machine that resembled a cross between a spider and a beetle, a pair of large bladed pincers jutting out the front, green liquid oozing from the front of its body, four green eyes located on each of the front legs.

**Junk Spitter: Lv.4 EARTH Machine ATK:1300/DEF:1100**

"Gross…" Cleo groaned.

"Junk Spitter no kouka hatsudo!" A purple portal opened in the ground, and the spider-beetle-robot launched a stream of the green liquid into it. "Once per turn, I can scrap a Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard!"

"'Scrapping' is her word for banishing something." Kohaku whispered to Dizzy.

"I scrap my Melter Mouth!" The green liquid stream became a gelatinous rope that drug the wreckage of a light blue machine with a large torso but no head. The machine's face was actually its torso, the front of which was a huge mouth with square teeth, two small eyes on top, and it had two small arms on the sides and two feet (no legs) on the bottom. The mouth was open, but it was empty, and the eyes were hollow. Junk Spitter slurped up the gelatin rope with a disgusting sound, pulling Melter Mouth to it, and when it go to it, the spider-beetle began mercilessly slicing it to pieces with its bladed pincers, quickly reducing it to scrap metal. Then a small sharp-toothed mouth opened up on its underside and began drawing in the pieces, chomping them up.

Kaneko recoiled. "How vulgar!"

Plata chuckled. "Welcome to the Chop Shop, Batosei! Since I scrapped Melter Mouth, Junk Spitter Special Summons a Junk Cube Token in Defense Mode!" The mouth retracted as its body shook, then the back carapace opened to reveal a hatch, which shot out a cube of junk that landed in a new Monster Zone with a SLAM.

**Junk Cube Token: Lv.4 EARTH Machine/Token ATK:0/DEF:1500**

"Magic Card, **Metal Recycle**, hatsudo! By destroying a Machine-Type monster I control, I can Special Summon one of my scrapped Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters! So goodbye, Junk Cube Token!" The junk cube levitated in the air, and an arm shot out, followed by another. Two feet came out, then the cube itself uncrumpled itself, revealing the original form of the monster it was. "Melter Mouth, Tokushu Shoukan!" The large-mouthed machine landed on the ground, and its body slowly repaired itself, its jaws closed. Then its body shook before it roared loudly, a mass of lava-like liquid contained within it, the light from the liquid brightening its hollow eyes.

**Melter Mouth: Lv.4 FIRE Machine ATK:1600/DEF:500**

"Let's turn up the heat! Melter Mouth no kouka hatsudo! By scrapping a Machine-Type monster in my Graveyard, I can destroy one monster you control!" A purple portal emerged from above the light blue machine, dropping the wreckage of Mallet Crusher on it. Melter Mouth looked up and grabbed it as it fell, but then proceeded to crumple the wreckage into a ball before cramming it into its mouth, chomping noisily with its metal jaws as the superhot liquid dissolved the hammer-handed robot. Then, with its mouth closed, Melter Mouth's body rumbled slightly before it made a sound like it was hocking a loogie, then it spewed a stream of the superhot liquid out, coating Dark Collage Monstrosity with it. The amalgam of art gave a horrific distorted yell as its body was melted to a puddle.

"Damn… Who know that girl had such crazy machines?" Dizzy wondered.

"Go, Melter Mouth! Attack Found Engine Eagle!" Plata cried. With a roar, Melter Mouth leapt forward and grabbed hold of the eagle's wings, making it struggle to get free, but the machine spewed a stream of the hot liquid, burning its wings and causing to fall to the ground in pain. However, Melter Mouth hit the ground first and caught the bird, devouring it beak-first, using the liquid to help dissolve it as it noisily went down its gullet.

Cleo shuddered. "Her monsters are scary…" Melter Mouth leapt back to Plata's field when it was done, letting out a loud metallic burp.

**Kaneko LP:2350**

"Junk Spitter, attack Useless Unliving!" Clamping its pincers twice, the spider-beetle rushed forward to chomp the Skull Servant clone.

"Found Useless Unliving no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating a Soul Tower, it is not destroyed by battle!" One of the skeleton's Soul Towers shut off, making it lurch forward and grab hold of the machine's pincers. It managed to force it off, but its hands were severely sliced in the process.

**Kaneko LP:2050**

"Man, those things don't know when to quit!" Plata complained. Then she saw something. "Huh?" Useless Unliving's hands appeared to have been ripped like cloth, exposing what looked like metal. "The heck is up with that thing's hands?"

"N-None of your business!" Kaneko said.

Plata smirked. "Oh… so you're hiding something, huh? This'll be a good secret to uncover!"

The word 'secret' struck a cord with Kohaku. _ 'Wait a second.' _ He pulled out the Silver Game Card, reading the text. _ 'Find the secret of evil Renaissance.'_ He read mentally, looking back at the ripped hands. _'Is this what the card mentioned?'_

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" Plata placed a facedown.

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Kaneko drew her card. "Magic Card, **Finishing Touch**, hatsudo! This card lets me reactivate all of Found Rubbish Rose's inactive Soul Towers!" The two black crystals on the towers blinked white before staying white, firing their lightning at the Rose Tentacles. Magically, the rips and rusty patches of its body repaired themselves.

**Found Rubbish Rose: 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Hmm… is there something you're trying to keep from us?" Plata asked.

"I told you, it's none of your business!" Kaneko snapped. "Found Rubbish Rose no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating those two Soul Towers again, my Found Art Creation returns to my hand!" The two Towers went black again, and the plant-like monster pulled Found Art Creation from the purple portal and added it to Kaneko's hand, causing its body to rip and rust again.

**Found Rubbish Rose: 2 Active Soul Towers**

"Magic Card, Found Art Creation, hatsudo! My Life Points shall be a sacrifice for yet another Composition Summon!" The aura sapped her Life Points, then became four purple portals.

**Kaneko LP:1250**

From the portals, the exact same monsters used to Summon Found Engine Eagle emerged. "Watashi wa Cursed Art – Modern Monster, Descent Into Darkness, Fiendish Bust to, Reberu Go no Pointillism Poltergeist de Shinajaizu!" Once again, the art pieces formed a purple energy sphere before changing into Soul Towers, firing purple lightning at the changing energy mass. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Cursed Art… Found Lightning Leo!" This time, the monster that appeared was a large model of Regulus. Again, parts of it looked off: The tail's end was more yellowish than orange, there was a raised part of its head where the horn was, and the paws looked perfectly round instead of having three "digits".

**Cursed Art – Found Lightning Leo: Quality 5 DARK Fiend/Composition ATK:2100/DEF:1400 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Gotcha!" Plata cried.

"Nani?"

"Trap Card, **Shutdown**, hatsudo!" Her facedown flipped up. "When you Summon a Composition Monster, until the end of this turn, all of its Soul Towers are deactivated!"

"No!" Kaneko cried. Lightning Leo roared weakly as its body began to static, its body slowly moving to take the pose on the Regulus card, freezing in that pose. Then, all of a sudden, the Regulus look dissipated, revealing a VERY surprising sight: The body was actually made out of two kitchen sinks welded together with pipes making the legs. Ladles with broken plastic knives taped to them made the paws. A paintbrush on a stretched-out spring makes the tail and a goofy lion mascot head with a railroad spike for a horn serves as the head of this… thing.

**Found Lightning Leo: 0 Active Soul Towers**

"EHHH?!" Kohaku, Dizzy, Doc, Cleo, Yoru, and Plata all gasped.

"What in the hell is all that junk?" Yoru cried.

"Peons! This is a masterful model of the mighty Regulus!" Kaneko said, her eyes closed. "Only one with true artistic view could see the meaning behind it…"

"Open your eyes, Baka! That thing is as bad as your 'horse' sculpture!" Dizzy said.

Steam came off Kaneko's head again. "Stop calling me that!"

"I meant it for real that time! You're a stone-cold baka if you think this is art!"

"You'll regret saying that…" Kaneko then looked at Plata. "And you'll regret shattering the artistic vision! Artist of Darkness – Bawbaraws, Shoukan!" An odd fiend-like monster emerged, decked out in an artist's smock and an apron, holding a paintbrush and a chisel.

**Artist of Darkness – Bawbaraws: Lv.4 DARK Fiend/Base ATK:1100/DEF:650**

"Engage Composition Maneuver!" Kaneko ordered. The fiend waved its paintbrush and lobbed three globs of purple paint, which landed on the ground and caused purple portals to open. From them, Kaneko's Fusion Monster, the damaged form of Engine Eagle, and a huge truck decorated with multicolored lights emerged. "Watashi wa Cursed Art – Dark Collage Monstrosity, Found Engine Eagle, Dark Dekotora to, Reberu Yon no Bawbaraws de, Shinajaizu!" The four Fiends formed a sphere of purple energy, then transformed into Soul Towers, energizing the changing mass with purple lightning. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Cursed Art… Found Vicious Viper!" Another monster emerged: A model of Venominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes. This one's design errors included white lines outlining the scales of its tail, gray arms with oddly ridged snake heads, a smaller chest size, and having no snake heads on the ends of her hair.

**Cursed Art – Found Vicious Viper: Quality 4 DARK Fiend/Composition ATK:1700/DEF:1050 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Found Vicious Viper no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating a Soul Tower, one monster you control loses 900 Attack and Defense Points!" One of Viper's Soul Towers shut off, then Viper fired a blast of purple liquid from one of its snake head mouths, coating Junk Spitter with it. The liquid began to burn at it like acid, melting its pincers.

**Junk Spitter ATK:400/DEF:200**

"Vicious Viper, attack Melter Mouth now!" The Venominaga clone lashed out one of its arms, chomping down on the light blue machine and crunching shut, destroying it.

**Plata LP:2100**

"Useless Unliving, follow up and destroy Junk Spitter!" The skeleton expelled a cloud of purple smog that washed over the spider-beetle robot, causing its body to quickly rust and corrode, crumbling away like dust.

"Aaaaaaah!" Plata groaned, shielding her face.

**Plata LP:1500**

"Lightning Leo cannot attack without its Soul Towers active, but now that you've uncovered my secret, I can't let you win." Kaneko said. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" At that time, Lightning Leo's Soul Towers came back to life and re-energized it, causing the Regulus look to return.

**Found Lightning Leo: 4 Active Soul Towers**

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. Plata loaded the three cards she had left while Kaneko loaded her five.

However, when they appeared on-screen, the Silver Card that Kohaku was holding began to glow, which he noticed. "Huh?" All of a sudden, the card vanished from his hand. "Whoa!"

On the AR system, one of the Game Cards turned fully white, and its image was replaced with the Silver Game Card. "Hey, what happened?" Plata wondered.

The Game Cards were cycled through, and the wheel came to a dead stop on the Silver Card. **"ACCESSING WORLD MAP."** The silver card gave off a bright flash of light, and when it died down, everyone was in the Medieval Plains area, and Plata was standing on the blue circle from World 1-1.

"Whoa! What happened?" Cleo asked.

"What is this?" Kaneko growled.

"Plata-chan solved the riddle for the World 1-2 challenge!" Kohaku said. "'Pass the torch to the one with the torch, whose metal monsters slice and scorch.' Plata has a blowtorch, and her Chop Shop Deck is full of Machine-Types with blades or fire, among other destructive things."

"'Find the secret of evil Renaissance.' The Found Cursed Arts held a secret: They're merely piles of junk made over to resemble famous monsters. Plata exposed it by using Shutdown on Lightning Leo. Since she exposed the secret, the Silver Game Card reacted, and she can play the next challenge."

Plata grinned at that. "Okay, let's see what we've got here." Her D-Vatar appeared next to her and waved before rushing down a path that stretched from the circle Plata was on to a blinking red circle. Plata followed it to the circle, then looked sideways to see words printed on an AR screen.

**World 1-2: Castle Crash**

"Sounds good to me! Let's go!" Plata said, grabbing her D-Pad and hitting the A Button. The words changed into a gate, and Plata's D-Vatar rushed toward it, jumping through it.

The gate widened and changed to look like a new AR screen, which showed Plata's D-Vatar dropping down onto an area in the Medieval Plains. Right in front of it was a large three-towered castle with a moat and drawbridge, making the D-Vatar look on in awe. Then, Kukiran flew in from nowhere. **"Yay! You solved the riddle for World 1-2! Now you can play my new challenge! See this castle? Your goal is to destroy as much of it as you can! To do so, I've given you these!"** Five bulb-shaped bombs appeared in a bag, which the D-Vatar picked up and slung around its shoulders. ** "When the drawbridge comes down, use the Control Stick to rush in and move around the castle, and press A to place a bomb. Once you're done, hit the B Button to light all the fuses, but be careful! The drawbridge will only stay down for 30 seconds, so if you don't place all the bombs, light the fuses, and get out in time, you'll be stuck inside the castle and be blown sky-high with it! For every 10 percent of the castle that you destroy with the bombs, your opponent's monsters will lose 300 Attack and Defense Points. If you manage to destroy ALL of the castle, *giggles* then I'll destroy all your opponent's monsters for you! But if you get trapped inside the castle's walls and be blown up with it, your monsters will lose half their Attack and Defense Points! Good luck!"** Kukiran flew off with the D-Vatar watching it, then it got ready to move. The drawbridge came down, and the D-Vatar ran in, finding the castle to be smaller than it looked.

**GO!**

"¡Se desguace tiempo!" Plata shouted, moving her D-Vatar around the castle's interior. Rushing up to the second level by a staircase, Plata's D-Vatar placed two of its bombs on opposite sides of the level, then rushed down, taking seven seconds total. Moving into a nearby mini-library, another bomb was placed.

"Of course, she goes for the library." Doc said with an unamused face.

Leaving the library, Plata's D-Vatar placed another bomb at the base of one of the three towers, then it quickly rushed up to the third level and placed the fifth bomb right beside the tallest tower's top. "Uh-oh, ten seconds left!" Plata said, hitting the B Button. Her D-Vatar hit a switch, causing all five fuses to spark and be lit. The D-Vatar quickly rushed down the two staircases and out through the drawbridge, which rose itself up four seconds later. The D-Vatar covered its ears as five powerful explosions sounded from within the castle, sending debris everywhere, one of them causing the top tower to fall.

**FINISH!**

Then, a counter showed up, depicting how much of the castle was destroyed.

**Destruction Total: 47%**

Plata's D-Vatar jumped up once before landing and giving a double V-sign with a grin. Kukiran flew in and flitted around the D-Vatar for a moment. **"Nice job! You didn't make it to 50%, but since you got at least 40%, I'll reduce the Attack and Defense Points of Kaneko Batosei's monsters by 1200 for you! I hope to see everyone again when you solve the next riddle! Bye-bye!"** Kukiran flew off, and the AR screen turned white, Plata's D-Vatar jumping back through the gate portal into the world to rejoin the original. The red circle for 1-2 turned blue, and slightly down the path, another red circle appeared. Everyone's vision was blinded by white, and when their vision came back, they were back in the original AR space, the game screen gone. Kukiran had done her job, as Kaneko's monsters were weaker.

**Found Useless Unliving ATK:0/DEF:0**

**Found Rubbish Rose ATK:800/DEF:0**

**Found Lightning Leo ATK:900/DEF:200**

**Found Vicious Viper ATK:500/DEF:0**

The Game Cards were ejected from the players' Gamepads, all three of Plata's Game Cards being there, but the Silver Card was with them. "This thing is awesome." She said, tossing it back to Kohaku, who caught it. "Atai no turn! Draw!" Plata drew her card and grinned. "Perfect! Magnet Monkey, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as a purple-colored fiendish-looking chimpanzee robot, its long tail splitting in two and becoming a large magnet at the end.

**Magnet Monkey: Lv.4 EARTH Machine/Base ATK:1400/DEF:1500**

"A Base Monster?" Kaneko asked.

"Magnet Monkey no kouka hatsudo! When it's Normal Summoned, I can return one of my scrapped Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monsters to my Graveyard!" The chimpanzee's magnetic tail sparked to life and began emitting a magnetic field. Then, a part of space ripped open, and the wreckage of Mallet Crusher was pulled through it, attaching to the tail. A purple portal then opened, and Magnet Monkey dropped the wreckage into it, sending it to the Graveyard. "Now I've got what I need!" Snapping her fingers, Magnet Monkey emitted another magnetic field, causing all of Plata's past monsters, as well as two that looked like mere junk piles, to rise from purple portals, all pristine. "Atai wa, Mallet Crusher, Junk Spitter, Melter Mouth, **Scrap Mole** ni tai de, Reberu Yon no Magnet Monkey de, Shinajaizu!" The six machines pooled their energy in the center of them, creating an energy sphere that was mostly orange, but had some traces of red in it, then they backed off and became six Soul Towers that fired red lightning at the sphere as it changed shape. "Korera roku tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" A loud metallic roar was heard, and a pair of large mechanical jaws clamped down on the energy, green eyes shooting open on it. Two huge mechanical arm with a scale design shot from the energy and bent, fire shooting from the elbows. "Es un horno de fundición de estar, con una respiración de mil quinientos grados, y un estómago como un volcán! (He's a living smelter, with a 1500-degree breath and a stomach like a volcano!)" A metal plating on the monster's chest had a glass pane that showed superhot liquid boiling within, and its huge mechanical tail swished around, small flame jets flicking on down the length of it. The whole thing looked like a massive red-and-charcoal-colored mechanical dragon, the claws on its hands and feet being silver. "Ideyo… Incinerator Dragon!" With a flash of its eyes, four jets of flame activated on top of its head, then it let out a loud metallic roar, its mouth expelling flame all the while.

**Incinerator Dragon: Quality 4 FIRE Machine/Composition ATK:2600/DEF:2700 6 Active Soul Towers**

"Now things have heated up!" Kohaku chirped.

"What on Earth…?" Kaneko gasped.

Plata smirked and snapped her fingers. "Incinerator Dragon no kouka hatsudo! When it's Composition Summoned, one card on your field is destroyed! Melt that facedown!" The lava-like liquid inside the dragon rose up to its neck, bubbling ominously, then the mechanical dragon spewed a stream of the liquid from its mouth, coating the facedown and reducing it to nothing but a puddle. "You're finished! Incinerator Dragon, attack Found Rubbish Rose! 1500-Degree Inferno!" All of the flame jets on the monster's body flared violently, then its eyes glowed brightly. With another metallic roar, the machine expelled a massive stream of fire from its metal mouth. The fire barreled right toward the Rose Tentacles copy and slammed into it. The imagery of Rose Tentacles was reduced to nothing, revealing the shoddy pile of junk that it really was, before the pile itself was reduced to rubble. The fire was so intense that Kaneko's other monsters were caught in the blaze, being incinerated easily.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Kaneko yelled as she was flung back from the force, landing on the ground hard.

**Plata LP:1500**

**Kaneko LP:0 – LOSER**

"Heck yeah!" "That's the way!" "Awesome!" Kohaku, Doc, and Yoru cheered as the Augmented Reality began to vanish.

"What a sweet Duel!" Dizzy said. Two seconds later, though realization hit him. "GAAAAH! Why wasn't I recording this?! Damn it!" Kohaku was laughing at him.

Kaneko picked herself up off the ground with a growl, ripping off her D-Gazer. "Damn… no one's ever seen the truth of my Deck before… I'm out of here!"

She was grabbed by the back of her collar, however, by Plata. "What bug is up your butt? So your Composition Monsters are piles of junk. My whole Deck RUNS on piles of junk! It's not that big a deal!"

"Shows what you know!" Kaneko said, swatting her hand away. "Do you have any idea what kind of effort goes into making true works of art? Some creations take weeks, months, even YEARS to create! How can you possibly understand what art is when you created all of your trinkets AND turned my sculpture into a seasnake in just one night?!"

"Just because something is art doesn't mean it's complex." Plata said. "Are there any things that you've made in short amounts of time?"

Kaneko recoiled. "N-None of your business…"

"Hey, check this out!" Yoru called. He and Kohaku had found a box of small trinkets underneath Kaneko's booth.

"Th-That's nothing! That's just my junk box!" Kaneko snapped.

Kohaku rummaged through the box, pulling out a ring-like trinket. "Junk? No way! This thing could make a great teething ring for my little sister!" He said, waving it around. "And this thing!" He pulled out a small necklace. "Kinoko would love this!"

Yoru pulled out a hand-knitted eye mask, trying it on. "Ah… this thing is comfy."

"See, Batosei? What one person calls junk might be something great to other people." Plata said. "Take it from a metal-worker's daughter. My papa turns boring metal into cool sculptures."

"And I've got video proof of that." Dizzy said.

Kaneko looked unsure. "It's just… All the works of art I've ever seen took long times to create. It made me think that only something with lots of time and effort could ever be considered art."

"Who says a lot of effort can't be given in a short time? I worked my ass off making my stuff last night." Plata said. "It was so bad that I almost didn't make it to school today!"

"Trust me, I almost had to carry her inside." Doc said, giving Plata back her jacket.

Kaneko blinked twice. "So… even in short times, lots of effort can be given."

"You got that right." Yoru said, he and Kohaku walking back over. "I can tell the effort that went into this mask."

Kaneko closed her eyes. "Hmm… perhaps I've been too jaded for my own good." She opened her eyes. "Please, let me see your 'jewelry' with the eyes of someone who isn't a skeptic." Plata nodded and led her back to her booth. The raspberry-haired girl looked back and forth across the booth, noting each piece of handmade treasure. "Amazing… To an untrained eye, you'd never realize that these were made in one night."

"Or that they're actually pieces of discarded metal." Plata said, placing her alarm-bell earrings back on her ears.

Kaneko allowed herself a small smile. "Hmm… they do suit you now that I see them again."

"And how about this thing?" Kohaku said, placing the altered sculpture on the booth.

"Hmm. While I am still offended slightly that my work has been changed…" Kaneko said, grabbing the sculpture. She smiled. "…but the change was for the better. My Cursed Art Compositions could not hope to be as realistic as this." Plata smiled. "Gomen-nasai for acting so condescending. When you view the world with new eyes, your old eyes come back to bite you."

"No worries, Batosei." Plata said. "Maybe you should show some of the stuff in your 'junk box' in your exhibit."

"Little late for that, Plata-chan." Kohaku said, pointing at Kaneko's booth. Sure enough, some of the officials for the Art Plaza were observing the trinkets in the box.

"Impressive for something so small." One of them said.

"Clearly the artist put love into this." Another said.

Kaneko was given a slight push by a smiling Plata, making her smile as she walked back to her booth. "I think you just made her a future star, Plata-chan." Kohaku said.

Plata smiled, but then she sighed. "I just hope we don't end up in a Sculpt-Off. I'm a metal-worker, not an artist." The whole group got a laugh out of that.

* * *

_***7 second music***_

_**I will not lie down, roll over**_**_  
*3 second music*  
I will not just let it by  
*3 second music*_**

_**I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh**_**_  
You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero_**

_**I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now**_**_  
With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down  
Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow  
There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now_**

_**10…**_**_  
9…  
8…  
7…  
6…  
5…  
4…  
3…  
2…  
1…  
0…_**

* * *

*Preview*

Kohaku: Whoa! Who turned on the waterworks?

Plata: Pipes are bursting everywhere!

Cleo: Aaaah! My outfit's gonna get wet!

?: Hahahahahaha! I just LOVE to make life hell for people!

Kohaku: Stand back, guys! We got a real nutcase on our hands!

Kohaku: Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Sykonetyk Strike! Hydro Leads The Havoc!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards **_(A/N: All cards relating to the Cursed Arts, aside from Twisted Vision, were made by Rocket Knight 777, not me, but I had to really tweak them, as the Cursed Arts are normally an Xyz-based Archetype. Also, since so friggin' many Cursed Arts were used, I'm only detailing the Compositions. The normal monsters can be found on the Yugioh Custom Wiki.)_**

Mallet Crusher  
Level 4 EARTH Machine  
ATK:1800/DEF:100  
Once per turn, if this card is attacked: You can discard 1 Machine-Type monster from your hand: Negate the attack and reduce the attacking monster's ATK by 600.

Junk Spitter  
Level 4 EARTH Machine  
ATK:1300/DEF:1100  
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard: Special Summon 1 "Junk Cube Token" (EARTH/Machine-Type/Level 4/ATK:0/DEF:1500) in Defense Position.

Melter Mouth  
Level 4 FIRE Machine  
ATK:1600/DEF:500  
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard: Destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.

Artist of Darkness - Bawbaraws  
Level 4 DARK Fiend/Base  
ATK:1100/DEF:650  
This card can be treated as a "Cursed Art" monster for the Composition Summon of a "Cursed Art" Composition Monster.

Magnet Monkey  
Level 4 EARTH Machine/Base  
ATK:1400/DEF:1500  
When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 of your banished Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters: Return it to your Graveyard.

Scrap Mole  
Level 3 EARTH Machine  
ATK:900/DEF:1200  
This card cannot be banished from your Graveyard by your opponent's card effects.

Cursed Art - Dark Collage Monstrosity  
Level 9 DARK Fiend/Fusion  
ATK:0/DEF:0  
3 or more "Cursed Art" Monsters  
When this card is successfully Fusion Summoned, place 1 Art Piece Counter on this card for each Fusion Material Monster used to Fusion Summon this card. This card gains 700 ATK and 400 DEF for each Art Piece Counter on this card. Once per turn, remove 1 Art Piece Counter from this card and banish 1 "Cursed Art" Monster in your Graveyard; this card gains the effect of the banished monster until the end of your Opponent's turn. If this card has no Art Piece Counters, send it to your Graveyard.

Cursed Art - Found Useless Unliving  
Quality 1 DARK Fiend/Composition  
ATK:1000/DEF:150  
1 Level 1 "Cursed Art" Base + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
If this card would be destroyed by battle, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials instead. If this card has no active Composition Materials: Reduce its ATK and DEF to 0 and treat this card as a non-Effect Monster. This card cannot attack while it has no active Composition Materials.

Cursed Art - Found Rubbish Rose  
Quality 6 DARK Fiend/Composition  
ATK:2000/DEF:950  
1 Level 6 "Cursed Art" Base + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can deactivate 2 of this card's Composition Materials; add 1 card from your Graveyard to your hand. During the End Phase of the turn you use this effect, if this card has no active Composition Materials; reduce its ATK and DEF to 0 and treat this card as a non-Effect Monster. This card cannot attack while it has no active Composition Materials.

Cursed Art - Found Engine Eagle  
Quality 5 DARK Fiend/Composition  
ATK:2150/DEF:1950  
1 Level 5 DARK Base + 3 DARK monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can deactivate any number of this card's Composition Materials; Return the same number of Magic and Trap cards your opponent controls to their Deck (The Deck is then shuffled). Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of cards returned to their Deck x 300. During the End Phase of the turn you use this effect, if this card has no active Composition Materials; reduce its ATK and DEF to 0 and treat this card as a non-Effect Monster. This card cannot attack while it has no active Composition Materials.

Cursed Art - Found Lightning Leo  
Quality 5 DARK Fiend/Composition  
ATK:2100/DEF:1400  
1 Level 5 "Cursed Art" Base + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, during the start of your Battle Phase, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials; this card can attack every monster your opponent controls once each. During the End Phase of the turn you use this effect, if this card has no active Composition Materials; reduce its ATK and DEF to 0 and treat this card as a non-Effect Monster. This card cannot attack while it has no active Composition Materials.

Cursed Art - Found Vicious Viper  
Quality 4 DARK Fiend/Composition  
ATK:1700/DEF:1050  
1 Level 4 "Cursed Art" Base + 3 DARK monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials to target 1 monster your opponent controls; reduce its ATK and DEF by 900. During the End Phase of the turn you use this effect, if this card has no active Composition Materials; reduce its ATK and DEF to 0 and treat this card as a non-Effect Monster. This card cannot attack while it has no active Composition Materials.

Incinerator Dragon  
Quality 4 FIRE Machine/Composition  
ATK:2600/DEF:2700  
1 Level 4 Machine-Type Base + 5 monsters in your Graveyard, including at least 2 Machine-Type monsters  
When this card is Composition Summoned: Target 1 card your opponent controls: Destroy it. Once per turn: You can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials and banish any number of Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters from your Graveyard: This card can attack an extra time this turn for each banished monster. This card cannot attack directly during the turn you activate this effect.

Scrap Dump  
Normal Spell Card  
Send 2 Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters from your Deck to your Graveyard.

Twisted Vision  
Normal Spell Card  
Send any number of "Cursed Art" monsters to the Graveyard from your Deck: Special Summon 1 "Cursed Art - Dark Collage Monstrosity" from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) The Special Summoned monster cannot attack for a number of turns equal to the number of "Cursed Art" monsters sent to the Graveyard for this card's effect.

Found Art Creation  
Normal Spell Card  
Reveal 1 Cursed Art Composition Monster in your Extra Deck. Pay 200 Life Points x the number of Composition Materials needed to Composition Summon that monster. Special Summon that monster, then stack 1 "Cursed Art" monster for every 200 Life Points you paid, and treat those monsters as active Composition Materials for the Summoned Composition Monster. You must have at least 1 appropriate Base Monster for the Composition Monster among the stacked monsters. (This Special Summon is treated as a Composition Summon.)

Metal Recycle  
Normal Spell Card  
Destroy 1 Machine-Type monster you control: Special Summon 1 of your banished Level 4 or below Machine-Type monsters.

Finishing Touch  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 "Cursed Art" Composition Monster you control: Reactivate any inactive Composition Materials it has.

Shutdown  
Counter Trap Card  
Activate when your opponent Composition Summons a Composition Monster. Deactivate all of that monster's Composition Materials. During the End Phase: Reactivate all of that monster's inactive Composition Materials.

Gear Goal  
2-Player VS Game Card  
Move Control Stick left or right to move and press A Button to jump. Passing a green goal counts as a checkpoint, and a player that passes one will respawn right after it if they fall. The first player to reach the goal wins and may draw 1 card.

World 1-2: Castle Crash  
1-Player Game Card  
You have 30 seconds to place 5 bombs within the play area. Move using the Control Stick, and place bombs with the A Button. Once all bombs are placed, press B Button to activate the fuses. If you fail to get out of the castle in 30 seconds, the castle will explode with you in it. If you exit the castle and the bombs explode: Your opponent's monsters will lose 300 ATK and DEF for each 10% of the castle destroyed. If 100% of the castle is destroyed: All monsters your opponent controls are destroyed. If you fail to get out of the castle: Halve the ATK and DEF of all monsters you control.

* * *

**Vile: Man, this was a fulfilling night!**

**Kohaku: It feels good to be part of one of these conversations after only a cameo in the past!**

**Vile: Yeah, it feels good to do one of these after quite some time!**

**Kohaku: Too bad I gotta run. I gotta watch Hakaimo later.**

**Vile: No worries. I'm hitting the sack, anyway. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now, and good night!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	5. Level 005

**Vile: This one came quickly to me, so here's my next GSTART chapter. I just hope it isn't too far-fetched.**

**Kohaku: Why would it be?**

**Vile: Well... Honestly, I don't know. It seemed weird when I wrote it.**

**Kohaku: Eh, maybe we should let the readers decide how good it is. That's what they're there for, after all.**

**Vile: Good point. Disclaimer's on the first page, any bolded cards are mine. Enjoy, folks!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 005: Sykonetyk Strike! Hydro Leads The Havoc!

*3:00 AM*

Within an unknown building of Sigma City, a shadowed figure was holding a very intricate-looking dark blue Gamepad. Grabbing the stylus pen, the holder drew a symbol on the Touch Screen that resembled a combination of a lowercase Alpha symbol and a capital Omega symbol, causing the screen to change. The image of a card appeared on-screen, along with a map. After a few seconds of the map panning around, a silver dot began blinking on an area. "Target located." Then, the screen changed, showing two blue dots and a red dot. "Curses. It's already been activated." Tapping a button on the Touch Screen, the screen changed to show a wall of different symbols. The symbol that resembled a wave of water was tapped.

A dark blue circle formed on the ground behind him, rising into a cylinder of light. When the cylinder dissipated, a figure was standing there. The figure was clearly male, but was shadowed. "You called me, boss?" He said with a small giggle.

The first figure showed him the Gamepad. "Your target is in this location. Get going."

"Ooh, finally! I've been itching to get moving!" The second figure said. "I would hope that you don't mind me causing a little hell…?"

"Stop talking to me… and get that card!" The first figure said, making the second figure recoil.

"Okay, okay, I'm gone!" The second figure said before rushing off into the darkness.

_'Don't fail me…'_ The first figure thought.

*7:05 AM*

"Shower's all yours, Tou-chan!" Kohaku said, walking out of the bathroom with a towel on.

"Thanks. I got a meeting today, so I gotta move." A man with brown hair with some blue streaks said as he passed him, going into the bathroom and shutting the door.

Kohaku was almost dressed within a couple of minutes, but as he grabbed his jacket, a yell was heard. "WAAAAAAAAAH!"

This startled the heck out of Kohaku, who stuck his head out his bedroom door. "Tou-chan?!"

"Anata! Are you alright?" Kohaku's mother cried, running upstairs. She was holding Hakaimo, who was sucking on a pacifier.

"Th-Th-The wat-ter just w-went f-f-frigid!" His father cried. "It won't-t-t get h-hot!" The sound of the water being shut off was heard.

*Outside*

A chuckle was heard as someone messed around with a system through a Gamepad, the chuckle becoming a giggle. "Did you enjoy that little wash-up, buddy? HA hahahahahaha!" He switched around the system around a bit more.

*Inside*

All of a sudden, from the first floor, water was heard spraying. "Ack! Stop spraying me!" Kinoko cried, the water being turned off.

Kohaku rushed downstairs to see what the commotion was. Kinoko was soaking wet. "What happened?"

"I was just trying to get a drink of water from the faucet, when all of a sudden, the water shut off and the spray nozzle started spraying me!" The red-haired girl complained.

"Here, dry up." Sokudo said, throwing a towel that hit Kinoko in the face.

"Gee, thanks, Sokudo-nii-chan." Kinoko said sarcastically, drying herself off. "I'm gonna need a new shirt from this."

"This is nuts." Kohaku said. "What's up with the water today?" He walked over to the faucet and turned the cold knob, causing the water to start.

*Outside*

"Sucker in the trap!" The figure said, manipulating the systems.

*Inside*

The water suddenly stopped. "Duck!" Kinoko cried. Rather than duck, Kohaku quickly pulled off his visor and held the flat part in front of the spray nozzle, deflecting the water that was suddenly sprayed from it.

"Stupid thing!" Kohaku groaned, shutting off the water with his other hand, causing the water to cease. Kohaku panted a few times, then he grabbed a nearby hand towel and started wiping off his visor. "Okay… we've got a problem here."

"I'm scared to even use the water!" Sokudo complained.

"I'll have your father call a plumber about this." Their mother said. "Until the plumber gets here to check things out, be very careful about using the water today, everyone."

"This is gonna go over great at school." Kohaku said with sarcasm, putting his visor back on his head.

*Outside*

The unknown figure was laughing his head off at his handiwork. "Hahahahahaha, that'll leave 'em all wet!"

*7:35*

"Okay, I've called the plumber. He should be here sometime today." Their father said. "Sankako, keep your eyes on the state of the water."

"Okay, anata." Sankako replied. "I hope the water cooperates with me while making Hakaimo's formula today." She looked at her youngest child, who stared back up at her with her big eyes.

"And with that cue, I'm off for school. See ya later!" Kohaku said, heading out the door.

However, as he left, the figure, who was in the shadows, noticed. "Uh-oh, kid's on the move! I gotta roll!" He rushed after him, staying out of his sight.

*At Delta High*

"I'm telling you, the water in my house was wacky today!" Kohaku told Doc while they were washing their hands in the bathroom sinks. "I hope that plumber finds the problem with it, or else I might become hydrophobic!"

"I think you're over-reacting a bit, Koha-kun." Doc said, shutting off his sink. "It was probably just a lapse in the system."

"What 'lapse' covers both the upstairs bathroom shower and the downstairs kitchen sink?" Kohaku asked.

Doc paused for a moment. "Once I get an explanation, I'll relay it to you."

"ACKPTH! AAAGH!" Yoru was suddenly heard yelping outside the bathroom, accompanied by a gurgling sound.

"Oh, what now?" Doc groaned as he and Kohaku rushed out of the bathroom. Yoru was in front of the drinking fountain, his face, hair, and blanket cover all wet. "What happened?"

"This… *pant pant* stupid water fountain… started spewing water in my face!" The lavender-haired boy griped, coughing up a bit of water. "Went up my freaking nose!"

Kohaku had a bad feeling. "Aw, man… this day is going downhill really fast."

"Son of a bitch!" A boy was heard yelling inside the bathroom, walking out quickly after. "The toilet's overflowing! Where's the janitor?!"

"First my shower, then my faucet, then the water fountain, now THIS? What's going on with the water here in Sigma City today?" Kohaku griped.

"I don't know, but that kid is right. We better notify a janitor." Plata said.

However, they had no idea that someone was watching them from the central area, literally right near them. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh… Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! This is even more fun than a video game…! Who knows what else I can pull off with this thing?"

"Hey, buddy, whatcha giggling at?" A male student asked, startling the figure and making him whirl around.

However, a smirk came on his face. "Oh, nothing much. Just this!" Holding out his hand, a jet of water came out from an odd device attached to the bottom of his wrist, spraying the student in the face and knocking him back a bit. "See ya, soggy shirt! Hee hee hee hee!" He quickly leapt on top of nearby ledges to get to a higher part of the school. 'That was only a taste of what I've been doing today, pal. Hell is made of water wherever I'm concerned! Hahahahahahahahaha!'

* * *

**_*8 second intro*_**

**_Don't give up the fight! Play on!  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

**_*rest*_**

**_With every step you take you grow  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

**_Level yourself up, and you can make it through  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

**_It is ON!_**

* * *

By the time third period rolled around, Kohaku and Dizzy were starting to feel a little nervous. "Dude, I swear, something or someone is messing with the water systems in the school." Dizzy said, his eyes crossed.

"I'm half tempted to believe you. First Cleo gets a faucet explosion in the girl's bathroom. Then both the boys' and girls' locker rooms got a spike in the water temperature during showers, some of the kids walking out of there with some bad burns. And then I hear about water failures going on around the whole building! What's up with this school today?" Kohaku said, throwing up his arms to emphasize his point.

"I don't know, but if this keeps up, I'm skippin' water today and going for the vending machines." Dizzy said, turning to face the teacher as he walked in.

"All right, class, today we'll do a simple discussion on the properties of condensation." The teacher said as he began writing on the blackboard. "Just to see if you know, does anyone have an idea what condensation actually is?" A student's hand went up. "Yes?"

"Is that water starts appearing on the outside of a soda can?" The student asked.

"That's one way of putting it. To be technical, condensation is when matter, such as water, as he mentioned, changes from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase." The teacher said as he began writing on the board.

A message popped up on Dizzy's D-Pad. _"Just our luck he talks about water today. –Kohaku"_

Dizzy quickly sent back a reply. _"No kidding, man. –Dizzy"_

"Like Sendo said, an example of condensation is on the outside of a full soda can, which may be merely cold at first, but later, water suddenly appears." The teacher explained.

However, right outside the classroom, the water system was being switched around on the mysterious man's D-Pad. "'Water suddenly appears'? You asked for it, ha ha!" He tapped a button.

Out of nowhere, the sprinklers located within Kohaku's classroom went off, spraying water all over the room. "What the hell?!" Dizzy yelled. The rest of the students began freaking out.

"Let's get out of here!" Kohaku yelled, leaping from his desk and heading for the door, followed by Dizzy.

"Agreed. Everyone out!" The teacher said. Kohaku and Dizzy were already out of the room when the rest of the students started trying to get out the door.

The moment everyone was out of the room, Kohaku went back and pulled the door shut, placing his back against it while panting. "What in the living hell is going on today?!" One of the students cried angrily.

"The water in this school has been going crazy! I saw that faucet go up in the bathroom earlier today!" A girl said.

Kohaku sighed. "Sensei, talk to the principal about all of this weirdness with the water. I've got a feeling that something fishy is going on here."

The teacher placed his hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm… You're right, Kohaku. These water-related incidents are posing a danger to everyone. I'll notify the principal." He then spoke to the whole class. "I'll send you all the material you need to cover and your assignment through your Gamepads. For now, class is cancelled. Do what you wish until fourth period comes around."

"Yes, Sensei." The class said before the teacher walked off.

After a few seconds, Dizzy spoke. "I think I'll go for that soda now."

"Don't bother fishing in your pocket. It's on me. Let's go." Kohaku said, him and Dizzy walking off.

Off to the side, the culprit was watching with a grin on his face. "Hahahahahahaha…! You think you're done with me for today, losers? I'd love to see you try and dodge my aquatic assault!"

*Break Period*

"Ugh, thank god we got to the break without drowning!" Plata complained.

"No joke! Admittedly it was cool that we got out of third period because of this, but seriously, the sprinklers going off?" Dizzy complained.

"Hey Yoru-kun, where's your blanket cover?" Kohaku asked.

Yoru unzipped his backpack and pulled out the folded white cloth. "I put it away for safekeeping in case the water decided to be a jerk to me again." He said, unfolding it and slinging it over his head, poking his arms out of the sleeves.

"I'm just glad we got to lunch. I'm hungry." Doc said, pulling out his lunch.

"Amen. I brought a Level 3 Orochon bowl with me from the restaurant today." Dizzy said, pulling out his bowl and chopsticks.

"Orochon? When did you add that to the menu?" Yoru asked, biting into a rice ball.

"Not too long ago. The Orochon is the same dish with different levels of spiciness. From 7 to 1, as the levels get lower, the stuff gets spicier." Dizzy said, digging into his food.

"I really hope you won't need any water after eating that stuff." Kohaku said apprehensively. "I know I won't want any after today."

"That's why I brought a soda." Dizzy said. After a few bites, he let out a belch with an anime fire effect. "Whoo! Hot stuff!"

"Nice." Kohaku said.

Meanwhile, the culprit was watching off to the side. "I think that fire could stand to be put out, heeheeheehee!" He giggled. Checking his Gamepad, though, he had trouble locating a water system in the area. "Where the hell is it…?" Finally, he found something: A lawn worker with a hose. "Well, not what I expected… and not very useful. …Oh, what the hell? I'll work with it!" He began messing with the system.

As he did, the water pump that the lawn worker's hose was connected to began to rumble violently, making the worker notice. "Eh?" All of a sudden, the pump was rocketed out of the ground by a small geyser of water that had obviously exploded from the pipe below. "Yikes!"

Kohaku and his friends noticed this as well. "Oh no, not again!" Cleo cried. The lawn worker was already running away, probably for backup. Several of the other students got out of range of the geyser, though Kohaku and his friends were already out of range.

Doc facepalmed. "Okay, this has gone on for too long. I say we go to the principal and tell him about these incidents ourselves. All in favor?" Everyone agreed.

*Principal's Office*

"You're a little late to be telling me about these incidents. I was informed about this during third period after a sprinkler outburst." The principal said.

"Then why hasn't anything been done about it? A water pump just exploded in the Central Area!" Dizzy complained.

"Because I had to wait until something was done." The principal said. "When I was first told about this, a check of the water systems showed that there were no abnormalities. Everything was in working order. But I had the staff keep an eye on the systems, and sure enough, we discovered the cause." The principal pulled out his Gamepad, which showed a red skull in the water system map. "Someone managed to hack into the water system and mess around with the water controls."

"A hacker?! That's crazy!" Plata cried.

"Crazy as it is, that's what happened. When the culprit made the water pump explode, the surveillance program picked up on the hacking signal. Unfortunately, there's a problem."

"Don't tell me: You couldn't trace it back to its source?" Kohaku asked.

"It's much stranger than that. There IS no source!" The principal said.

"Eh?!" The group asked.

"This signal has no connectivity to whatever piece of technology spawned it. It's literally as if the signal just appeared with no spawning point."

"So it's like a ghost signal." Doc said. "This is very odd."

"Indeed. But now that we have proof that someone was deliberately messing with the water controls, the staff is taking action." The principal said. A call came in on his D-Gazer, which he answered. "Hello?"

"We've completed the system lock, sir. The water systems are now completely off-limits to anyone without this password." A staff member said, transmitting a password to his Gamepad. The password was "Water Dragon".

The principal attempted to access the water systems, but got himself blocked off. "The block appears to be in order. Let me test the reliability." He tested multiple passwords, but all gave him "Access Denied", his D-Vatar starting to look miffed. Upon trying "Water Dragon" as the password, the block was removed, allowing him access, his D-Vatar giving a thumbs-up. "Good. The block is in place."

"You'll be forced to enter the password again once you leave the water systems." The staff member said. "That part has been tested and re-tested."

"Nice work. Keep me updated on any happenings." The principal said, getting a positive response before ending the call. "Well, I should hope that this solves our little problem."

"I say we give it a little test." Kohaku said. "Follow me." He walked right outside the principal's office and to a nearby water fountain. His friends and the principal were right behind him. "This guy's been messing with us in particular. He won't resist this." Smirking, Kohaku bent down and switched on the water fountain for a drink.

"I won't resist this, you say…? Well, you'd be right there, pal!" The culprit, who was nearby, whispered. He attempted to enter the water systems, but was quickly blocked by a red box that said "Enter Password". "Nani?! A password?! Why did this show up?!" He began trying to punch in a password, but got "Access Denied". "Damn it!"

Kohaku was prolonging his drink on purpose. _'A little bit longer.'_

"Come on, come on!" The culprit whisper-yelled, trying new passwords. Still "Access Denied". "Aaaagh!"

Finally, Kohaku finished his drink, wiping off his mouth. "Aah... refreshing."

"That drink was at least fifteen seconds long." Yoru said. "Yet the fountain didn't buckle, sputter, anything!"

"I guess that proves the block worked." Doc said with a small smile. He turned to the principal. "Arigatou for your help."

"My pleasure. You should finish your break period. Thankfully you didn't waste most of it." The principal said, walking back into his office.

"Well, since we've got part of the break period left, what do you think we should do?" Plata said.

"I say we finish our lunch. Only Dizzy got to finish his." Yoru said, holding up his lunch bag.

"I'm good with that. Let's go-" Cleo said, but she stopped.

"What's up, Cleo-cha-" Kohaku said, but he was silenced by Cleo's finger on his lips.

"Shh. Do you hear that?" Cleo whispered, looking the other way. Kohaku listened closely.

"Goddamned piece of garbage! What is that password?!" A voice was heard yelling quietly.

The group gained skeptical looks. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Cleo asked.

"Keep your voices down, guys." Kohaku whispered, walking slowly toward the source of the voice.

"No… damn… curses…" The voice whispered. "Oh, I'm gonna have a stroke from this!" Kohaku held up a hand to stop the others before peeking his head around the corner. Doc and Plata managed to peek their heads as well. He saw a 19-year-old man with light blue hair done in a classic mullet style, as well as silver-colored eyes, tapping angrily on a dark blue Gamepad. His outfit was… weird, to say the least. It was a one-piece light blue jumpsuit that had dark blue designs on the sides that resembled waves of water, the waves stretching into the sleeves of the jumpsuit and also going into the legs. He had bulky silver metal boots equipped to his feet with odd blue lights on them. He also wore silver metal gloves on his hands that had small jet-like devices hooked to the undersides of the wrists. A chain of cybernetics ran from the top of the gloves' wrists up the length of his arms, then up the sides of his neck to an odd dark blue circlet of sorts on his head, odd lights blinking on it.

_'Nanda…?'_ Kohaku thought. _'What's up with this guy?'_

"Oh, to hell with it!" The man said. "They think they can keep me locked out, eh? Well, I guess I gotta do things… the hard way." He put away his Gamepad and walked off with a small laugh.

The three of them peeked their heads back around the corner. "Guys, I think we might've found our water culprit." Kohaku said.

"Who on Earth was that guy?" Doc asked.

"I don't know, but he gave me the creeps." Plata said.

All of a sudden, Kohaku felt pain go through his head. "Agh!" He cried, gripping his head.

"Koha-kun!" His friends cried.

Kohaku panted a bit. "What… what was that?!" He noticed a glow in his pocket, and he pulled out the Silver Game Card. There was new text on it. "Huh?" A glow came from the card, and Kohaku suddenly saw a vision.

*Vision*

Kohaku saw the Medieval Plains area in the World Map, but something was wrong. Water was bursting up from random points in the ground, causing the area to flood and castles to crumble. A scream was heard as Kukiran flew around in fear. **"Oh no, oh no! What's going on?! If this water onslaught doesn't stop… this world will surely be destroyed!"** All of a sudden, a laugh rang out: The same laugh as the man Kohaku had just seen. His vision went white.

*End Vision*

"…ha-kun? Yo, Koha-kun!" Dizzy yelled, snapping his fingers in his face. Kohaku shook his head. "Dude, you spaced out on us!"

"We need to follow that weirdo!" Kohaku said.

"What makes you say that?" Plata asked.

"I just got this weird vision… It was like the ones that I told you about, from this thing." Kohaku held up the Silver Game Card. "The World Map area was flooded… and I heard that guy's laugh! He's gotta have something to do with it!"

"Whoa, Koha-kun, slow down." Doc said. "None of us saw this vision. How can we be sure this guy is such a danger?"

"You probably shouldn't have said that." Dizzy said. "Every time someone says that, something bad happens.

_**BOOM!**_

A small explosion was heard from somewhere in the building. "Ya see?!"

An alarm suddenly started blaring over the intercom. "An explosion has just occurred in the water pipe center! All students evacuate the building!"

Students began to rush out of their classrooms, but Kohaku stayed still. "Water pipe center…"

"You OK, Kohaku?" Cleo asked. Rather than answer, Kohaku turned right around and dashed off, going right around the corner. "Kohaku!"

"This is serious. Let's go!" Doc said, rushing off in pursuit of Kohaku, the rest of them following him.

Kohaku had a map of the school on his Gamepad, a route plotting toward the water pipe center room. On his way there…

**_BOOM!_**

The ground rumbled slightly. "Oh man, I need to hurry!" He picked up speed on his path, rounding a corner.

"Damn, where's Koha-kun going?" Plata griped.

Doc had his Gamepad out, his D-Vatar following the signal of Kohaku's Gamepad. "It looks like he's heading toward… the water pipe center?!"

"Is he nuts? Two explosions just went off there!" Cleo cried.

"Let's move before Koha-kun ends up in pieces!" Doc said.

*Water Pipe Center*

Kohaku found the door to the inner area disconnected from its hinges, a couple staff members on the ground with soaked clothes. One was conscious, and Kohaku ran up to him. "What happened?"

"Th-That man… he's destroying the water pipes!" The staff member said. "If it keeps up… he'll flood the school!"

"…Not on my watch." Kohaku said, walking into the inner area. He immediately found himself stepping in shallow water. He quickly found the light-blue-haired man attaching a device to another pipe, then backing up and covering his ears. The device blinked three times, then…

**_BOOM!_**

The device exploded, the explosion being louder to Kohaku as he was near it. The pipe it was attached to was blown open, causing water to shoot out from it. "Hahahahahaha! Rage, water! Rage like the force of nature you are!"

"HEY!" Kohaku yelled.

The yell caught the man off-guard, making him turn around. "Hungh?!" Once he saw Kohaku, though, he grinned. "Oh, it's you! You thought you were pretty slick by dodging my little prank at your house, weren't you?"

"'Prank'? What prank?" Kohaku asked.

"Heeheeheehee! The temperature drop in the shower? The rigged spray nozzle? I gotta say, using that visor was handy!"

Kohaku glared. "So it was YOU! I bet you were behind all the other crap that happened today, too!"

"You betcha! It's amazing what someone can do with water! But your principal wised off and locked me outta the system!" The man said. "So I had to take some drastic measures!"

Kohaku's friends finally caught up to him. "Koha-kun, we gotta get out of here!"

"Not until I teach this drip a lesson!" Kohaku replied. "This is the guy who's been messing with the water, both here and at my house! And now he's trying to blow the water pipes and flood the school!"

"He what?! This guy's a nutcase!" Dizzy cried.

"Oh, stop! You're gonna make me blush with those compliments!" The man said.

"Just who do you think you are?!" Cleo yelled.

The man laughed again. "You wanna know who I am?" Moving his arms to point upward, the man began firing jets of water from the devices on his wrists, moving them around elegantly, before taking an end pose with his arms held up menacingly. "Avatar of Water, Sykonetyk – Hydro!"

"Sykonetyk?" Kohaku wondered.

"We're the baddest gang from Domino City to Heartland City! And now we're here to take Sigma City by storm!" Hydro declared. "And when someone decides to run us down…" Hydro pressed a few buttons on his left wrist. "We wash 'em out!" He fired a jet of water from the left device at Kohaku's wrist, which solidified and became a rubbery substance upon impact.

"Nanda?!" Kohaku gasped. He tried to pull his arm free, but couldn't. "What is this?!"

"Hahahahahahahaha! You ain't goin' nowhere, buddy!" Hydro jeered. "That little sucker keeps you locked in place unless you can beat me in a Duel! But if you lose, that water will go into your D-Controller and short-circuit it into nothing!"

"You're crazy if you think I'll agree to that!" Kohaku yelled.

"Then you'll be stuck here until this school floods!" Hydro said, creating an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. "While I'll be snug as a bug in a rug underwater!"

Kohaku growled. "…Fine! But once I win, you'd better tell your 'gang' to clear out and keep their faces out of Sigma City!"

"That's IF you win!" Hydro said. "Game Mode's staying off for this Duel! Can you handle that?"

"Please! I know how to Duel without Game Mode!" Kohaku said. "Let's go!"

"…I can't resist this." Dizzy said, pulling out his camera and turning it on to record.

"It is ON!" Kohaku yelled, turning his visor backwards. "D-Controller, switch on!" Kohaku's D-Controller clacked onto his arm and activated.

"D-Controller, switch on!" Hydro pressed some buttons on his right wrist, then fired a jet of water from the right device at his left wrist. The water turned gel-like and began to expand, eventually taking the form of an odd gel-like D-Controller, fully active with a Deck inside.

"D-Gazer, set!" Kohaku's D-Gazer was placed over his eye.

"Heheheheheheh… D-Gazer, set!" Pressing more buttons on his right wrist, Hydro pointed his right device at his eye and fired more water, the water changing into a dark blue D-Gazer with a light blue gel-like lens.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Everyone's D-Gazers flashed, including some who stuck around to watch. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

**Kohaku LP:4000**

**Hydro LP:4000**

"The first move is mine! Ore no turn! Draw!" Hydro drew his card. "Field Magic, **Mirror Lake**, hatsudo!" The field morphed into what looked like a moonlight forest area, but the Duelists were standing in the shallow ends of a large lake that perfectly reflected the sky above.

"A Field Spell? This guy must have something big planned." Kohaku thought.

"Oh, it is something big, heeheeheehee." Hydro said, picking another card. "Kohanjū (Lake Beast) – Nix, Shoukan!" A portion of the water in the lake slowly rose up and began to change shape, eventually taking the shape of a gel-like humanoid. Fingers and hair could clearly be made out, and two small yellow dots glowed in the water as eyes.

**Lake Beast – Nix: Lv.4 WATER Aqua ATK:1400/DEF:700**

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" Hydro's facedown emerged.

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Pixel HERO – Crown Parasol, Shoukan!" His monster leapt out from the lake, but while in midair, it deployed a parasol to float gently down, landing and somehow standing on the surface of the lake. This HERO looked like an adult woman with long blonde hair and a pink HERO outfit with a long skirt, the pixilated "P" on her stomach. A small yellow crown was on her head, yet despite her slightly dainty look, her face and blue eyes looked ready for battle. The woman closed her parasol and placed the tip into the water.

**Pixel HERO – Crown Parasol: Lv.2 LIGHT Warrior ATK:900/DEF:1500**

"Pixel HERO – Crown Parasol no kouka hatsudo! Whenever she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can call forth a certain Pixel HERO from my hand or, in this case, my Deck! Pixel HERO – Red Hammer, Tokushu Shoukan!" Crown Parasol opened her parasol and pointed it to the sky with a smile. A twinkle was seen, then a figure suddenly plummeted straight down from above, slamming on the surface of the lake and making a large splash. The figure got up to show that it was the red-garbed, hammer-wielding HERO. He gave a salute to the female HERO with his free hand, who returned the salute.

**Pixel HERO – Red Hammer: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior/Base ATK:1600/DEF:1400**

"Nice monsters. Too bad they help me, too!" Hydro jeered. "Mirror Lake no kouka hatsudo!"

"Nani?" Kohaku gasped. Red Hammer and Crown Parasol looked down at their reflections in the lake. All of a sudden, their reflections grinned evilly at them, shocking them.

"Whenever you Summon a non-WATER monster to your field, my Mirror Lake takes their reflections and changes them into Lake Beasts from my Deck with the same Levels!" The reflections detached from their owners and moved to Hydro's field. "Kohanjū – Xiezhi, Kohanjū – Bunyip, Tokushu Shoukan!" The reflections merged with the water, then two more spots of water rose up. One of the watery figures looked like some type of lion, while the other resembled a thin creature with tentacle-like feet and a long tongue. The lion, however, had armor around its torso, legs, and tail.

**Lake Beast – Xiezhi: Lv.4 WATER Aqua/Base ATK:1600/DEF:800**

**Lake Beast – Bunyip: Lv.2 WATER Aqua ATK:800/DEF:400**

"Kuso! These things won't be easy to beat." Kohaku mused. "But I guess I can do some damage! Red Hammer, attack Kohanjū – Bunyip! Hammer Slammer!" The red-garbed HERO leapt forward with his hammer above his head, then came down hard, slamming the long-tongued water creature and causing it to dispel back into the water it came from.

**Hydro LP:3200**

"Kohanjū – Bunyip no kouka hatsudo! If it's destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or below Lake Beast monster from my hand!" Hydro declared. "Kohanjū – Kelpie, Tokushu Shoukan!" More water rose up and turned to gel, this time taking the form of a small horse with a wild mane. Armor adorned parts of its body.

**Lake Beast – Kelpie: Lv.3 WATER Aqua/Base ATK:1200/DEF:600**

"Tricky little drips." Kohaku mused. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" His facedown emerged.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Hydro drew his card. "Kohanjū – Xiezhi no kouka hatsudo! Once per turn, by releasing a Lake Beast monster I control, I can send another Lake Beast monster from my Deck to my Graveyard!" Nix was absorbed into the waters of the Mirror Lake, and Hydro sent a card. "Magic Card, Hand Destruction, hatsudo!" His facedown flipped up. "This card makes us discard 2 cards from our hands, then draw 2 more!" Both players dumped their cards and drew new ones. "Time to show you what I can do!" He snapped his fingers, and Kelpie let out a watery neigh as Bunyip, Nix, and another copy of Nix emerged from the water. "Ore wa, Kohanjū – Nix ni tai de, Bunyip to, Reberu San no Kelpie de Shinajaizu!" The four water creatures sent their energies to the center, creating a pure blue sphere of energy in the center, then all four creatures became Soul Towers, which fired blue lightning at the sphere. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Hahahahahahaha, Kōzu Shoukan!" The energized sphere sank into the water, which began to ripple violently. All of a sudden, a massive column of water shot from the lake. "Lurking into the depths, she awaits a traveler foolish enough to use her domain!" The water column began to turn gel-like, and its form began to change. The body style remained blobbish, yet it curved in a vaguely feminine way, and what appeared to be featureless breasts emerged on the front. Arms began to form on the sides, but the backs of the hands remained attached to the gel body, rendering them unusable. There were no legs to the monster, as the bottom was still anchored to the water. "Arawareyo! Kohanjoō (Lake Queen)…" A neck formed near the top of the column, forming what should've been a head, but large purple gel-like tentacles erupted from the head, completely surrounding any visible "skin" the head would have. "CHARYBDIS!" Two yellow eye dots flashed open, visible through a shadow in the tentacles, then the monster let out a large watery scream as the blue lightning kept energizing it.

**Lake Queen – Charybdis: Quality 3 WATER Aqua/Composition ATK:1400/DEF:1500 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Damn, that thing's loud!" Yoru griped, covering his ears.

"Doesn't look very powerful, though." Doc mused.

"Oh, it'll get better! When Charybdis is Composition Summoned, I have to destroy a monster I control!" Xiezhi's body began to bloat up before it finally exploded, the water retreating into the lake. "Now, Charybdis! Attack Pixel HERO – Crown Parasol!" Blue energy began to gather behind Charybdis's facial tentacles. "Tidal… BEAM!" With another watery screech, a fierce blast of water was fired from Charybdis's face, barreling toward the female HERO. Crown Parasol let out a yell before the beam struck her and pushed her into the depths of the lake. She didn't emerge when the beam receded.

**Kohaku LP:3500**

"Trust me, Kohaku Yudin, you have no idea how strong we are!" Hydro declared. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

Kohaku's eyes widened. "…How do you know my name…?"

Hydro slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh, damn. I wasn't supposed to let on about that!"

Kohaku looked sternly at him. "All right, buddy, what are you hiding? Talk!"

"Heeheeheehee… Tell you what. If you win, I might tell you what I know." Hydro mused. "But that's a big 'if', hahahahahahaha!"

"Okay, your laugh is annoying. Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Magic Card, **Red Whistle**, hatsudo! This card lets me target Red Hammer and change his Level from anywhere between 1 and 8! The Level I choose is 3!" An odd 8-bit red whistle dropped from above, which Red Hammer caught. He played three echoing notes on the whistle, and four Level Stars appeared above him before changing to three Stars.

**Red Hammer: Lv.3**

"Time for some Composition Summoning of my own!" Kohaku declared. "It is ON!" Red Hammer let out a whistle on his hand, and from purple portals, Crown Parasol emerged, as well as two more Pixel HEROes. One of them was familiar: Thunder Mouse. The other one, however, looked different: This one was an adult male decked out in red and gray armor, two green patches of armor on the chest, and had a spiked helmet with the pixilated "P" on the front. Long, flowing blonde hair came out the back of his helmet, and he held a long sword with a glowing green blade in his hand. "Boku wa Pixel HERO – Crown Parasol, Thunder Mouse, **Crimson Hunter** to, Reberu San no Red Hammer de Shinajaizu!" The four HEROes combined their energies, creating a sphere of red, yellow, and orange energy (though more yellow due to two LIGHT monsters), then they backed off and became Soul Towers, firing blue lightning at the changing energy, which began to grow into a humanoid form. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" All of a sudden, the humanoid figure was encased in thick ice, but one arm bashed through the ice and slammed it. The ice began to crack all over, then the person underneath broke free from its prison. It was a human male very similar to Red Blazer, though with various color differences. Rather than white, his main color was a sky blue, though he retained the red areas, brown boots, and pixilated "P" on his chest. "Arawareyo, Pixel HERO…" He also wore a helmet instead of a beret, though the helmet was light blue and his mustache and hair, instead of orange, were white. Holding up his hands, the new HERO caused icy energy and snow to form around them. "Red Freezer!" Waving his arms around in a different fashion, Red Freezer finished the exact same way as Red Blazer: With a peace sign, though he had ice spires erupt behind him instead of flames.

**Pixel HERO – Red Freezer: Quality 3 WATER Warrior/Composition ATK:2200/DEF:2000 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Geh! You use WATER monsters too?!" Hydro cried.

"Not as much as I'd like, but they come in handy!" Kohaku replied. "Red Freezer no kouka hatsudo! Once per turn, Red Freezer can render your monster unable to attack or change its battle position until my next Standby Phase! Stun Snowball!" Forming icy energy into his hand, Red Freezer chucked a large snowball at the massive water creature. The moment the snowball hit it, its body was encased in a layer of ice.

"Bakana!" Hydro cried.

"All right, Red Freezer! Attack Lake Queen – Charbydis! Freezing Blue Finisher!" Red Freezer waved its arms around before bringing them together by his side, charging his icy energy. Then, the monster fired a powerful beam of icy energy at the watery creature, causing an explosion of icy energy.

**Hydro LP:2400**

"And that takes care of that!" Kohaku said.

"Heeheeheehee, wanna bet?" Hydro jeered. As the mist cleared, Charybdis was still in one (frozen) piece.

"Nanda? How did it survive?" Cleo gasped.

"Hahahahahahaha! Charybdis gains power based on how many WATER monsters are in my Graveyard!" Hydro said. Images of Xiezhi, another Kelpie, and another Bunyip were seen in the water body of Charybdis. "Since there's three there already, Charybdis can't be destroyed by battle!"

"That won't save you for much longer." Kohaku said. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Hydro drew his card. "Monsuta settei! Turn end!" A facedown monster emerged, and Charybdis smashed free of her prison.

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Red Freezer no kouka hatsudo! Charybdis is frozen again!" Freezer charged energy and lobbed another snowball.

However, Hydro intercepted. "Trap Card, **Lake Ripple**, hatsudo! If a monster effect is activated, I can discard a Lake Beast monster from my hand in order to negate the effect!" He discarded his card, which formed on the field as another Xiezhi, which intercepted the snowball and froze in Charybdis's place, exploding.

"Kuso!" Kohaku groaned. "Oh well! Red Freezer, attack Charybdis again!" The red-and-blue-garbed HERO fired its icy beam of energy again, striking Charybdis but still not getting through.

**Hydro LP:1600**

"Hahahahahahaha! You'll never get through Charybdis!" Hydro jeered.

Kohaku grunted. "We'll see about that. Turn end!"

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Hydro drew his card, then he pointed at his facedown. "Kohanjū – Nereid, Shoukan!" The monster flipped up to reveal a water creature with a more feminine body, two fairy-like wings made out of the water on its back.

**Lake Beast – Nereid: Lv.3 WATER Aqua ATK:1300/DEF:650**

"Nereid no ribaasu kouka (Flip Effect) hatsudo! Nereid is destroyed, but I can add another Lake Beast from my Deck to my hand!" The fairy was absorbed into the water, and Hydro added another monster to his hand. "And here's the kicker! Since the total amount of WATER monsters in my Graveyard is now five, Charybdis's Attack and Defense Points are both doubled!" The massive water being suddenly grew in size, letting out a lower-toned watery scream.

**Lake Queen – Charybdis ATK:2800/DEF:3000**

"Holy crap!" Kohaku gasped.

"Heeheeheeheeheehee! Now who's the small fish in the lake? Charybdis, attack Pixel HERO – Red Freezer! Tidal BEAM!" With a low-toned scream, Charybdis fired a huge laser of water from its face, slamming into Red Freezer and forcing it into the depths of the lake. The backlash of the attack hit Kohaku, but he didn't seem fazed.

**Kohaku LP:2900**

"Ha ha ha ha! You all wet yet, buddy?" Hydro mused.

"No, not really." Kohaku said bluntly, shocking Hydro. "I may be pissed at you, but the way you operate makes it so I can't take you seriously. Messing with water pipes? Dude, you're like a cartoon villain!"

Hydro gained a tic mark. "'Cartoon villain'?! Why, you little! I'll drown you for that! Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

"Koha-kun, are you sure you should be pissing this guy off?" Yoru asked. "Considering what he's done throughout the day…"

"He blew up three pipes with small explosives. They don't even look that busted." Kohaku mused. "This guy's a good Duelist, but he sucks as a gang member. Boku no turn! Draw!" He drew his card. "Pixel HERO – Blue Bomber, Shoukan!" This monster emerged as another youthful-looking HERO, about 10 years of age, decked out in sleek armor of differing blue shades. He had blue eyes and a helmet on his head, the pixilated "P" being on the forehead of his helmet. Upon realizing that he was in the fray, he grinned and began converting his right arm, which eventually became a high-tech cannon of some sort.

**Pixel HERO – Blue Bomber: Lv.4 LIGHT Machine/Base ATK:1400/DEF:1300**

"Time to wipe you out, driphead! It is ON!" Kohaku said. Blue Bomber gave a whistle, and from purple portals, Red Hammer, Thunder Mouse, and Crimson Hunter emerged. Bomber and Hunter shared a salute between them. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai!" The four HEROes then channeled their energy in the center, forming a mass of red, yellow, and orange energy, then they backed off and transformed into Soul Towers, firing yellow lightning at the mass as it slowly began to change shape. "Kōzu Shoukan!" Then, one by one, two arms and two legs emerged from the mass, all clad in dark blue, light blue, and gray armor. The arms had white hands. The torso formed from the energy, being clad in the same type and colors of armor as the arms and legs, the torso design vaguely resembling an X, the Pixel HERO symbol in the center of the X design. The head formed last, taking an armored helmet with a red jewel on the forehead, a slight bit of black hair visible from the back. "Arawareyo, Pixel HERO…" Green eyes shot open on the monster, and its left arm converted into a powerful cannon that was much more intricate than Blue Bomber's. "Blue Bomber X!" Red energy flared from his back in the form of a flowing scarf, then he stood tall with his cannon pointed outward.

**Pixel HERO – Blue Bomber X: Quality 4 LIGHT Machine/Composition ATK:1000/DEF:1000 4 Active Soul Towers**

"Huh?" Hydro wondered, getting a look at the new monster. Then, he started snickering. "BAHAHAHAHAHA! 1000 Attack Points?! Is that all you came up with?! That thing's Base had more Attack Points!"

"You shouldn't be talking, Hydro." Kohaku mused. "Watch this! Trap Card, Plasma Shot, hatsudo!" Blue Bomber X pointed his cannon at Charybdis and began charging energy. Lightning began to form around the cannon during the charge. "Since I control Blue Bomber X, I can blast one of your monsters with the Plasma Shot, sticking it in Defense Mode and cutting its Defense Points in half!" The charge reached max power. "Plasma Shot, FIRE!" With a yell, Blue Bomber X fires off a powerful lightning-charged energy blast from his cannon, slamming into Charybdis's body. The lightning caused Charybdis's gel-like body to slowly become hard and brittle, its scream fading away.

**Charybdis DEF:1500**

"So what?! You know Charybdis can't be destroyed by battle with all those WATER monsters in my Graveyard!" Hydro said.

Kohaku smirked. "Blue Bomber X no kouka hatsudo!" The armored HERO crossed his arms, and his armor began to cycle through various colors. "Once per turn, by deactivating a Soul Tower, Blue Bomber X gains the Attack and Defense Points of the deactivated Tower until the End Phase! I deactivate Crimson Hunter!" One of the Towers went black and ceased its lightning, then an image of Crimson Hunter overlaid itself over Blue Bomber X, stopping his color scheme on a red and-gray scheme, the visible hair turning blonde and forehead gem turning green. "And until the End Phase, Blue Bomber X gains Crimson Hunter's effects, one of which treats it as a Warrior-Type monster as well as a Machine!"

**Blue Bomber X: Machine/Warrior/Composition ATK:3800/DEF:3400 3 Active Soul Towers**

"And the other effect? If Blue Bomber X attacks a monster in Defense Mode with less Defense Points than his Attack Points… then the difference between their points is dealt to you as Battle Damage!" Crimson Hunter's green sword came out of Blue Bomber X's cannon.

"Wait, he's got 3800 Attack Points, and Charybdis is down to 1500 Defense Points…" Hydro tried doing the math quickly. "And I only have 1600 Life Points, which means… EEEEEEEEK!"

"I think you get the picture! Blue Bomber X, attack Lake Queen – Charybdis! Zeta Saber Slice!" Leaping up into the air, Blue Bomber X began descending quickly toward Charybdis, who could only barely lift its head to see him as he cleaved right down the middle with the green sword, causing Charybdis's whole body to crack before exploding violently.

"CRAAAAAAAP!" Hydro cried as he stood his ground against the force of the attack.

**Kohaku LP:2900**

**Hydro LP:0 – LOSER**

"Duel Clear!" Kohaku said as the Augmented Reality began to vanish.

Hydro fell to his knees in the water. "Damn it… He's stronger than I thought."

He was suddenly forced to his feet by Kohaku. "All right, pal. I beat you, so spill it: How do you know who I am?"

Hydro suddenly grinned. "Figure it out yourself, Game Boy!" He jeered before spraying Kohaku with a jet of water, knocking him back. "Consider it our little mystery! But don't worry, I'll be sure to tell the rest of my gang about you! They'll definitely want a piece of you now! Hahahahahaha! Ja ne!" He quickly fell backwards into the water, which was deep enough to hide him from view.

"Hey!" Kohaku yelled, rushing to where he fell, but upon sticking his hand in the water, he found a surprise. "He… He's gone!"

"Forget him, Koha-kun!" Dizzy said, grabbing him from behind. "Let's get out of here before you drown!" The group of friends escaped, pulling Kohaku with them as the water from the pipes continued to gush.

*Outside the School*

"Whew… glad we got outta there." Plata said.

"I think I got water in my hair." Cleo said, checking her ponytails.

Kohaku clenched his hands in front of him. "I swear, one second he was right in front of me, then he falls into the water, and poof, he's gone! Who is that guy?"

"Dude, don't beat yourself up over it." Dizzy said. "You weren't the one who made him blow up the pipes."

"*sigh* I guess so." Kohaku gave in. "I just don't get it. How does he know who I am?" Kohaku felt the glow of the Silver Card in his pocket, pulling it out. "Guys, I think I'm about to zone out." Sure enough, the glow made Kohaku have a vision.

*Vision*

The flooded Medieval Plains slowly had the water plaguing it recede and return to the earth. The geysers ceased their activity, and the broken areas of the world began to repair themselves. **"Oh, thank you so much for saving this world!"** Kukiran, who had flown in, said. **"I don't know what happened…"** Her voice trailed off with an echo.

*End Vision*

As Kohaku came out from his trance, he finished Kukiran's sentence. "…but something tells me that we're not fully out of danger yet." He looked to the sky apprehensively, his friends looking at him worriedly.

*Later That Night*

"So… he managed to defeat you." Someone told Hydro, who was on one knee not out of honor, but his other knee was weak. "You didn't even mention the card."

"I know, I know, I screwed up!" Hydro griped. "But I couldn't let him know what's going on yet! It's way too soon! He has no idea of what that thing even is!"

"That's why you had to take it before he found out!" The man said. "If he discovers what that card is for, we'll never get it from him!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Hydro said. "I'd be willing to bet I won't get another chance."

"…You've done well enough, Hydro." The man said, surprising him. "You made Yudin aware of us."

Hydro grinned. "I also told him that the others will want a piece of him, hahahahahahaha!"

"You may have failed, but each failure is a step to success. You deserve a rest." The man said.

"I owe you one, man." Hydro said. A blue circle of light appeared under him before covering him with a cylinder of blue light. When the light faded, Hydro was gone.

The man turned to his Gamepad. "This round is yours, Yudin… But you're nowhere near done with us."

* * *

_***7 second music***_

_**I will not lie down, roll over**_  
_***3 second music***_  
_**I will not just let it by**_  
_***3 second music***_

_**I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh **__(One of the silhouettes that appears around Kohaku is un-shadowed, showing it to be Sykonetyk - Hydro.)_  
_**You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero**_

_**I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now**_  
_**With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down**_  
_**Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow**_  
_**There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now**_

_**10…**_  
_**9…**_  
_**8…**_  
_**7…**_  
_**6…**_  
_**5…**_ _(An image of Cleo brushing one of her ponytails is shown, but she looks stern, then she joins Kohaku's group.)_  
_**4…**_  
_**3…**_  
_**2…**_  
_**1…**_  
_**0…**_

* * *

*Preview*

Yoru: Oh, man... My narcolepsy is really getting to me lately...

?: *whistle blows* Get your rear in gear, lazybones! This isn't naptime!

Kohaku: Hey, give the kid a break!

?: I wasn't talking to you! Get up before I fail you!

Yoru: You're so rude... Maybe it's time you learned a little more about me.

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "P.E. Teacher Mad! Fight Spirit With Sloth?!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Lake Beast - Nix  
Level 4 WATER Aqua  
ATK:1400/DEF:700  
You can discard this card from your hand: Add 2 "Lake Beast"monsters with the same name from your Deck to your hand.

Pixel HERO - Crown Parasol  
Level 2 LIGHT Warrior  
ATK:900/DEF:1500  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used 4 times: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. When this monster is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Pixel HERO - Red Hammer" from your hand or Deck. Its effects are negated.

Lake Beast - Xiezhi  
Level 4 WATER Aqua/Base  
ATK:1600/DEF:800  
Cannot be used for a Composition Summon, except for the Composition Summon of a WATER monster. Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 "Lake Beast" monster you control: Send 1 "Lake Beast" monster from your Deck to your Graveyard.

Lake Beast - Bunyip  
Level 2 WATER Aqua  
ATK:800/DEF:400  
If this card is destroyed by battle: Special Summon 1 Level 3 or below "Lake Beast" monster from your hand.

Lake Beast - Kelpie  
Level 3 WATER Aqua/Base  
ATK:1200/DEF:600  
Cannot be used for a Composition Summon, except for the Composition Summon of a WATER monster. If this card is in your Graveyard with 3 or more other WATER monsters: You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard).

Pixel HERO - Crimson Hunter  
Level 8 EARTH Machine  
ATK:2800/DEF:2400  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. This card is also treated as a Warrior-Type monster. This card inflicts Piercing damage.

Lake Beast - Nereid  
Level 3 WATER Aqua  
ATK:1300/DEF:650  
FLIP: Destroy this card, then add 1 "Lake Beast" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Pixel HERO - Blue Bomber  
Level 4 LIGHT Machine/Base  
ATK:1400/DEF:1300  
During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon this card (from the Graveyard). If this card would be sent to the Graveyard after this effect has been used 3 times: Banish it. Reset this effect if this card is in the Graveyard again after being banished. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, this card gains ATK and DEF equal to the destroyed monster's ATK and DEF (respectively). If this card destroys a monster by battle after this effect has been used: Return this card's ATK and DEF to their original values before activating this effect again.

Lake Queen - Charybdis  
Quality 3 WATER Aqua/Composition  
ATK:1400/DEF:1500  
1 Level 3 WATER Base + 3 WATER monsters in your Graveyard  
When this card is Composition Summoned: Destroy 1 monster you control. This card gains the following effects based on the number of WATER monsters in your Graveyard:  
* 3+: This card cannot be destroyed by battle.  
* 5+: Double this card's ATK and DEF.  
* 8+: Once per turn: You can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials: Destroy all cards on the field.

Pixel HERO - Red Freezer  
Quality 3 WATER Warrior/Composition  
ATK:2200/DEF:2000  
"Pixel HERO - Red Hammer" (must be Level 3) + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls: It cannot attack or change its battle position until your next Standby Phase. Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials instead. If you use this effect, at the end of the Battle Phase: Negate this card's effects until your next End Phase.

Pixel HERO - Blue Bomber X  
Quality 4 LIGHT Machine/Composition  
ATK:1000/DEF:1000  
"Pixel HERO - Blue Bomber" (must be Level 4) + 3 "Pixel HERO" monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can deactivate of this card's 1 Composition Materials: This monster gains ATK and DEF equal to the ATK and DEF (respectively) of the deactivated Composition Material, as well as its effects, until the End Phase.

Mirror Lake  
Field Spell Card  
Whenever your opponent Summons a non-WATER monster with a Level: Special Summon 1 "Lake Beast" monster from your Deck with the same Level.

Red Whistle  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 "Pixel HERO - Red Hammer" you control: Change its Level to anything between 1 and 8 until the End Phase.

Lake Ripple  
Counter Trap Card  
When your opponent activates a monster effect: Discard 1 "Lake Beast" monster from your hand: Negate that effect.

Plasma Shot  
Normal Trap Card  
Activate while you control a "Pixel HERO - Blue Bomber" monster. Target 1 monster your opponent controls: Change it to Defense Position and halve its DEF.

* * *

**Vile: The Sykonetyks have finally shown themselves. But who are these mysterious characters?**

**Kohaku: And how the heck did Hydro form his D-Controller, D-Gazer, and that weird Duel Anchor thing?**

**Vile: You're taking after me more than I thought, Kohaku.**

**Kohaku: No, I'm not. I'm genuinely stumped about that!**

**Vile: Uh... That'll be revealed later. XD Anyhoo, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	6. Level 006

**Vile: Man, I am up way too late. The others aren't with me, but Vile is here with the (long-overdue) sixth Chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART! I need to get to bed, so I won't keep you guys very long! Disclaimer's on the first page, any bolded cards are mine or a friend of mine's. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 006: P.E. Teacher Mad! Fight Spirit With Sloth?!

Echoing footsteps were heard as a group of teenagers walked down a shadowed path, a door ahead pouring in light from the room on the other side. The teenagers, all boys, were lined up completely. "You guys ready for this?" One of them asked.

"This is what we play for, boys!" Another one chirped. "You know how we win: Somebody hit somebody!"

A third boy, the one in the center, cracked his knuckles. "All right, guys… Let's DO IT!" He ran forward through the doorway into the light…

…Only to see a red rubber ball flying into his face.

_**BAM!**_

Dizzy's face had a big red circle over it, his eyes crossed with a grin and a "cuckoo" sound from the impact, then he fell over onto the gymnasium floor with his tongue partway sticking out of his mouth. "Ouch." One of the boys said, looking at Dizzy with a raised eyebrow. All of the boys were wearing gym clothes, Dizzy's being a black short-sleeve shirt and blue shorts.

"You need to keep your eyes pointed straight, Dizzy." Doc said, wearing a white shirt and red shorts for gym clothes, tossing a dodgeball up and down repeatedly. "One wrong move on the court, and one of these things might be imprinted into your face."

"Like this?" Kohaku's voice asked, only a second before another dodgeball nailed Doc in the side of the head, causing his own eyes to cross briefly. Kohaku was off to the side, Yoru and another student beside him, the other student laughing his head off. Kohaku was in a green shirt (with a white 589 on the back) and crimson shorts, while Yoru's gym clothes were covered by his signature blanket cover.

"Nice shot, Koha-kun!" The other student said, high-fiving Kohaku.

Dizzy slowly picked himself up. "Nothing like a dodgeball to the face to knock my head into gear." He shook his head and grinned. "All right, I'm all good to go!"

All of a sudden, a whistle was blown, and the boys looked over to see a man in his 30s walk toward them. He had on a yellow shirt with blue cuffs and a blue collar, gray knee-length shorts, and black sneakers. A ball cap was on his head. "Let's go, boys! Everybody all set?"

"You bet, Nomura-sensei!" The boys all said.

Mr. Nomura grinned. "That's the spirit! It's Guys vs. Girls dodgeball today! We've had some days of practice, so let's get in there and hit some bulls-eyes!" The guys all cheered.

*A Few Minutes Later*

Two teams were lined up on opposite sides of the gym: One side with six boys (among them being Kohaku, Dizzy, and Yoru), the other side with six girls (among them being Plata, being in a dark green shirt and black tight shorts, and Kire Kenkoro, wearing her yellow robe with white shorts). Mr. Nomura and a female gym teacher were off to the side, and in the middle of the arena, so to speak, six red dodgeballs were positioned in a straight line. The two teachers then began a countdown. "Three! Two! One!" The sound of their whistles was heard blaring.

"It is ON!" Kohaku cried as the students rushed forward toward the dodgeballs. Four of the girls managed to grab a dodgeball while two boys grabbed the remaining ones, then the kids backed off. "Comin' in hot!" Plata chirped, winging the she had and nailing a boy in the shoulder.

However, the dodgeball went straight up. "Whoa!" Dizzy cried, rushing toward the airborne ball and pulling a one-foot spin, ending up right under the ball and catching it. Grinning, Dizzy did an eyelid pull taunt with a "Beh-da!" sound. Plata pouted before walking off the field, her being out.

Kohaku get on his feet, widening his eyes as a dodgeball sailed at him. "Eep!" He quickly squatted, making the ball go right over his head. Seeing a dodgeball roll near him, he grabbed it and saw a girl with her back turned, smirking. "The screwball in the back pocket!" Aiming briefly, he chucked the dodgeball and nailed the girl square in the rear end. "Ha ha!"

As the dodgeballs kept flying, four boys including Dizzy were knocked out as well as three more girls, leaving just Kohaku and Yoru against Kire. However, Kire had a dodgeball while neither of the boys did. "Two on one? I've got just the shot for this!" Grinning, Kire leapt forward and flung the dodgeball at an odd angle right toward Yoru, who wasn't moving.

"Yoru-kun, move!" Kohaku told him. Yoru did move… by falling right down to the floor, causing the dodgeball to fly right over his head.

"Nani?" Kire cried.

"Sucker in the trap!" Kohaku said before Kire was nailed with a dodgeball that Kohaku had managed to conceal, knocking her out.

The teachers' whistles were heard blowing, signifying the end of the game, and the boys' team started yelling and laughing in victory, rushing back onto the field. "Dude, what the heck happened there?" Dizzy asked.

Kohaku smiled and looked down at Yoru. "I guess being a sleepyhead can really come in handy sometimes." He mused.

Yoru was snoozing away on the floor, a slight bit of drool coming from his mouth. Mr. Nomura grabbed him by the back of his shirt and helped him into a sitting position. "Nice job, Mezameru!" Hearing his name caused Yoru to snap himself awake.

"The old Sleep Fake strikes again." Kohaku said.

Yoru yawned. "Huh? I actually fell asleep that time." Kohaku's eyes widened, then he did a face-fault.

Mr. Nomura laughed. "Sleep Fake, real sleep… Does it matter? You got us a win, kid!"

Yoru smiled lazily, yawning again. "Well, this is gonna make a good dream later today." He let out a chuckle.

* * *

_***8 second intro***_

_**Don't give up the fight! Play on!**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

_***rest***_

_**With every step you take you grow**_**_  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

_**Level yourself up, and you can make it through**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

_**It is ON!**_

* * *

The boys were back in the locker room, changing back into their normal clothes. "Man, I worked up a real sweat!" Kohaku said as he slung his shirt over his torso. "Good thing today's the last class of the day."

"I'm with ya there, Koha-kun." Yoru said, his blanket cover to the side as he put on some deodorant. "It would suck to have to go to another class while out of breath and stinky from sweat."

"What, no comment about a nap?" Kohaku asked with a smirk.

Yoru smirked back. "I may be narcoleptic, but I'm no sleep junkie. Maybe a good Duel later is what I need to cool myself off after today."

As the kids kept getting dressed, Mr. Nomura entered the locker room. "Boys, I should let you all know this. During the next week, I won't be here, so I phoned in for a substitute teacher."

Some of the boys raised an eyebrow. "And… that's important because…?" Doc mused.

Mr. Nomura grinned. "Because I got a special teacher for you all during that week." He stepped to the side a bit, and another man walked up. He was muscular, and had bright green eyes and spiky blonde hair with a distinct black fringe. He had on a basic white shirt with an ad on the front, jeans, and brown shoes.

A few of the boys had their jaws drop. "No way…" Kohaku breathed. "Next week's teacher is Pro Duelist Ichiro Watanabe?!"

"Awesome! Ichiro Watanabe in person!" A random boy in the locker room cried.

"Nomura-sensei, how do you manage to book HIM as a substitute teacher?!" Another boy cried.

"I've heard a lot about how this school is one with a lot of spirit." Ichiro said. "Spirit is the number 1 quality you need to succeed, be it Dueling, sports, anything! So, when I heard about a needed substitute gym teacher, there was no way I could pass this up! I always enjoy seeing youthful spirit! ORYAAAAA!" He yelled with his head pointed up, startling some of the boys.

Mr. Nomura laughed nervously at Ichiro's reaction. "I can see by some of your reactions that you're all for him as a teacher for the coming week." A THUMP was heard, surprising Mr. Nomura, but it was a recognizable thump.

Kohaku's sentence confirmed it. "Yoru-kun's out again." He said, looking at the snoring boy.

However, Ichiro didn't look happy. "Wake up, lazybones!" He yelled angrily. He got no reaction for Yoru.

"Uh… you gotta do it like this." Kohaku said, leaning down toward Yoru. "Mezameru." Yoru snorted and woke up.

"Huh?" He wondered, looking up and seeing Ichiro look angry. He didn't react very much. "Oh, gomen, Watanabe-san."

"I'll give you all the specs on my students through the mail, Ichiro-san." Mr. Nomura said. Just then, the bell rang. "That'll do it for today, everyone! Have a nice weekend!" The boys filed out of the locker room, clamoring amongst themselves, mostly about having Ichiro as a teacher next week.

However, Ichiro had a nagging thought in his head: _'Those kids need a real lesson in how to keep their spirit up.'_

*Kohaku's House*

"Hahahaha! 67% destruction!" Kohaku said, thrusting his hands into the air, the image of World 1-2: Castle Crash on his Gamepad screen. Kinoko and Sokudo were sitting beside him on the couch.

"That Silver Game Card is cool, Onii-chan." Kinoko said. "What else can it do?"

"Ehehe… unfortunately, nothing yet." He said as the screen flashed back to the World Map. "I've only unlocked the first two areas yet." He hit the Home Button, causing the screen to return to his management menu, then he tapped Eject, ejecting the Silver Card from the Gamepad, letting him grab it. "And this thing still hasn't given me the hint for the next game."

"Maybe there's some kind of machine inside it that picks how you find them." Sokudo mused.

"In a card this big and this thin?" Kohaku asked, moving the card around. "I doubt it. This thing is one little bundle of mystery."

"Well, big things come in small packages. Tou-chan taught us that." Sokudo said.

Kohaku smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. I guess I'll have to wait and see."

"Ah." A small voice cooed, and Kohaku felt something touch his leg. He looked down and saw Hakaimo in front of his leg looking up at him.

"You want up here, Hakaimo?" He asked, already leaning down. He picked up his baby sister and held her in his lap, Kinoko and Sokudo happy to see her. Hakaimo cooed happily.

*The Next Monday*

Within the gym, the boys were heading onto the gym floor while the girls were already there. "Ah… This day is looking up big time!" Kohaku said, Dizzy, Doc, and Yoru with him.

"I'm with ya. That quiz earlier today sucked!" Plata said, her and Cleo with the four of them.

The sound of a whistle blowing got their attention, and Ichiro Watanabe walked into the gym, dressed in a black shirt, purple shorts, and white sneakers. "All right, people, let's get right into this!" As other students were following the female teacher into activities, Ichiro held up a clipboard and looked down the names. "Robinson!"

"Sensei." Doc said in response, looking at Ichiro.

"10-box vault jump! Get moving!" Ichiro demanded, pointing at a set-up stack.

Doc's friends were startled, as were some of the other students. "10 boxes? Are you nuts? This isn't something to start with!" Plata said.

"I wasn't talking to you, Vuelo!" Ichiro snapped. "Robinson, move!" He blew into his whistle right in Doc's face, causing him to plug his ears.

"Fine, fine." Doc said as he got into position. His face didn't show it, but he was nervous. When Ichiro blew his whistle, Doc rushed forward and gave a large leap toward the boxes. …Unfortunately, while his hands were able to touch the top of the stack, the stack itself was too high for him to pull himself up onto, and he ended up impacting the top end of the stack (luckily missing the corner) with his chest, his chin sliding off the top as he fell to the ground in slight pain. "Ow…"

Some of the students recoiled at the impact. "That's gotta hurt." One girl said.

However, Ichiro's whistle blew. "What was that, Robinson? Get up and actually try this time!"

"Oi! Did you not SEE him utterly miss that jump? It's too friggin' high!" Dizzy griped, only to get the whistle blown in his face.

"On your feet, Robinson!" Ichiro barked. Doc groaned as he slowly picked himself up, unwillingly getting back into position. With another blow of the whistle, Doc ran toward the stack again. "Use those arms!" Ichiro shouted. With a leap, Doc slammed his hands on top of the stack and tried to push himself up and over… but his grip slipped, causing the top half of his body to slam onto the top of the stack. He groaned from slight pain, only getting another blow of the whistle and a sigh from Ichiro. "Oh my god, you are pathetic…" He said quietly before talking out loud again. "All right, Robinson, hit the bleachers."

_'Gee, thanks…'_ Doc groaned mentally as he struggled himself off the stack, staggering over to the bleachers.

"Okay, what else do we have here?" Ichiro said, looking at the student list. "Naginata! You do the 10-box jump in Robinson's place!"

"Are you loony? I'm not doing that after what happened to Doc!" Dizzy griped.

Ichiro stared at him. "That kid didn't have enough meat on his bones to make that jump. You, on the other hand, have some muscle. You could make that jump easy, I bet."

Dizzy crossed his arms. "That thing is too high for pretty much anyone in here! I bet you couldn't even clear it!"

Ichiro gave a smirk. "You wanna bet? Hold this." He handed Dizzy the clipboard with the student list, then got into position in front of the stack. "Watch and learn!" He rushed forward, then leapt toward the stack. "ORYAAAAA!" As if it was nothing, he slammed the top of the stack with his hands, propelled himself up, and sailed over the boxes, landing on the ground and sticking the landing.

Dizzy's jaw dropped. "How the heck did he do that?" Cleo breathed.

"Years of practice." Ichiro said with a grin, holding up an arm. "You see, to become someone with a powerful physique, you need to put yourself to the grindstone and not let up. I never let up on myself…" Then he turned his grin to the students. "…so don't expect me to let up on you!"

Some of the students sweatdropped. "My physique didn't come from the grindstone." Dizzy said. "It came from years of this." He began spinning around on one foot rapidly, sticking his arms out to gain wind resistance.

Ichiro raised an eyebrow, walked forward, and stuck out a hand, grabbing a fist and stopping Dizzy dead in his tracks. The gray-haired boy's eyes crossed. "You got strong by spinning dizzy and running into things?"

"Hey, it helps. I barely get dizzy anymore." Dizzy said with a grin.

"Hmm… I guess I've got a bit to learn about you kids." Ichiro said, letting go of Dizzy's arm. "Still, give the 10 boxes a shot. Your muscle might get you up there."

Dizzy sweatdropped, but sighed. "All right…" He said, getting into position. Ichiro blew his whistle, then Dizzy rushed forward and jumped at the stack, managing to hit the top and just barely propelling himself over the top. However, his leg impacted the stack, and on his way down, his stomach caught the back corner of the stack, causing him to gasp deeply as he fell to the ground.

Ichiro recoiled. "Ooh… Okay, now I'm convinced. That stack is too high."

*A Few Minutes Later*

Dizzy was on the bleachers with Doc, and the 10-box stack had been reduced to 7. Some of the students were doing other exercises at the time. "Okay, this should be a good amount. Who should be next…?" Ichiro looked at the clipboard. "Mezameru!" He got no response, confusing him. "Mezameru?" He looked around.

"Uh, sensei." Kohaku said, getting his attention. He pointed to the ground, seeing the sleeping Yoru on the ground.

However, he didn't expect the reaction: Ichiro glared and grabbed Yoru by the front of his shirt and blanket cover, holding him up to his eye level. "On your feet, Mezameru!" He yelled.

Yoru snorted and woke up, finding himself face-to-face with Ichiro's glare. "What? What'd I do?"

Ichiro dropped him, making him land on his rear. "I don't tolerate sleeping on my watch! Get moving onto the jump!"

Yoru didn't seem mad at this comment and went into position, but Kohaku looked confused. "Uh… you know that Yoru-kun's a narcoleptic, right?" He asked.

Ichiro gave a condescending chuckle, jabbing a finger in Kohaku's forehead. "You know that all that narcolepsy junk is an excuse, right?" Kohaku's eyes were wide in a "WTF" look. "It doesn't exist! It's a little excuse used by people who are lazy!"

"EH?!" Kohaku gasped.

"Oi, sensei." Yoru called. Ichiro turned around and saw Yoru on the opposite end of the stack.

Smirking, Ichiro assumed he had jumped. "Nice leap, Mezameru! Hit the mini-track for a while!" Yoru nodded and walked off.

"I don't know how someone can stand there and say that narcolepsy doesn't exist." Kohaku said to Ichiro.

"You can't? How about this?" Ichiro said, holding up three fingers. "Three times in my career. I Dueled three people in my Pro Career that fell asleep during the Duel and claimed narcolepsy, causing the Duels to end with no result. Later on, you know what I heard? They just did it to get out of a loss by me!"

Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "Like a rage quit?"

"Exactly. And these are people my age, not kids like you." Ichiro said. "I'm not like those people. I keep myself and anyone in my watch awake and raring to go to prove that they're not slackers. And if they fall asleep on my watch, they have two options: Get their butts up, or give my version of a fail grade!" Looking over where Yoru was, he saw that he had fallen asleep again, making him glare. "Mezameru, get up!" The shout woke up the poor narcoleptic. "That's twice today! 30 push-ups, right now!" He blew his whistle.

However, this annoyed Kohaku, making him pull the whistle out of his mouth. "Hey, I don't care what you did in the Pro Circuit to make you hate people who sleep, but give the kid a break. Yoru-kun's condition is serious!"

Ichiro gave him a death glare. "Do that again and I'll give you a failing grade for the whole week I'm here! I can be a nice guy, but do NOT tick me off!" He blew his whistle in Kohaku's face to punctuate the point.

Yoru, who was doing the push-ups as instructed, finally felt a little put off by Ichiro's comments. _'How rude, he is…'_

*After Class*

"Oh, man… I can still feel the hit to my stomach." Dizzy said as he and the others walked away from the building. "What was up with that guy, thinking we could do a 10-box jump right off the bat?"

"Did you see the way he basically took over the whole class? What a jerk!" Cleo complained. "Not to mention he practically exercised us into the dirt!"

"Tell me about it…" Plata groaned. "My arms are killing me…"

"I don't know, I thought most of the exercises, minus the vault at first, weren't too bad." Kohaku said. "It was his attitude toward Yoru-kun that got on my nerves."

"I heard it all from the bleachers. He's so inconsiderate about those he watches." Doc said. "I have a mind to report him to Nomura-sensei when he gets back."

"Don't worry about it, Doc." Yoru said, getting his attention. "As far as I'm concerned, Ichiro Watanabe isn't the person to be angry at in the long run."

"Even in spite of him not believing narcolepsy is real?" Kohaku asked. "If I were you, I'd be pissed."

Yoru gave a small smile. "It's one of the things narcolepsy gave me: An ability to take jabs about my condition in stride." He said simply, yawning afterward.

"I swear, you guys get a new quirk every single day." Dizzy said, getting a laugh out of Kohaku, Plata, and Yoru.

All of a sudden, there was a glow in Kohaku's pocket. "Eh?" He pulled out the glowing Silver Card. Words were printed on it. "Hey, it's the riddle to the next game!" He read it aloud for them.

**_The drowsiest of your party's next_**  
**_To aid you on your growing quest_**  
**_Quell the beasts with blood of heat_**  
**_To find your way to World 1-3._**

"…Who's writing these hints, some extradimensional poet?" Kohaku asked.

"Whoever it is, they could use some improvement. Those last two lines are a real stretch." Cleo mused.

"That clue definitely means me. It looks like I'm going to end up in a Duel soon." Yoru said.

"Does this thing have a mind of its own or something?" Kohaku wondered. "I've been trying to figure out ways to get the next hint ever since I defeated Hydro. Now it shows up outta nowhere."

"It probably only responds to certain stimuli in our lives, Koha-kun." Doc said. "Something that shakes up any of our lives, like Ichiro Watanabe trying to become basically a drill sergeant to us. But hey, it's only a theory."

Kohaku was a little confused, but stared at the card. _'What are you trying to put us through…?'_

*The Next Day*

As the students walked out to the gym, Kohaku felt slightly unnerved about Yoru, who, for some reason, wasn't wearing his blanket cover today. "Hey Yoru-kun, how are you gonna handle… you-know-who?" He whisper-asked.

"I'm just going to try as much as possible, and see if I can't keep myself awake." Yoru said, not whispering. "This isn't something I can control. I bet Watanabe-sensei will come around eventually."

"Don't count on it, Mezameru." Ichiro's slightly angered voice said, making them whirl around. He slammed a sticky note on Yoru's chest, getting an "Oof!" out of him.

Kohaku grabbed the note off his chest, reading it back and forth before widening his eyes. "Detention?!" He snapped his head to Ichiro. "You're giving Yoru-kun detention?!"

Ichiro held his clipboard in front of Kohaku's face. "I asked his teachers to keep tabs of every time Mezameru fell asleep in class today. He's fallen asleep 12 times today."

"Hello? Narcolepsy!" Plata griped.

"Stop giving that excuse!" Ichiro growled. He pointed at Yoru. "I'm gonna snap you out of your chronic snoozing kid. You start your detention tomorrow, but until then…" Yoru didn't move as Ichiro looked down at him. "When I'm done with you, you'll need ice packs wrapped around your arms."

"…You can't do that to me." Yoru said. "I'm not even your student. If the Pro Circuit got wind of you mistreating me, your reputation would be tarnished."

"My reputation already knows I don't believe in narcolepsy." Ichiro said, making Yoru's eyes widen. "I put myself through these harsh methods to become who I am… and I don't accept laziness of any sort!" He grabbed his whistle. "Now, 100 push-ups! Move!" His whistle was blown in Yoru's face.

As Yoru was forced to the ground, Kohaku's friends looked on with irritated looks. It wasn't easy to tick off Kohaku. "Guys, I'll be right back. If Ichiro tries to push Yoru into something he can't do, stop him." Kohaku said, walking toward the exit to the gym.

*Minutes Later*

Yoru was sweating profusely as he continued his push-ups, only at around 60. His arms were starting to shake. Finally, his leverage slipped, and he fell to the ground, panting. "Kuso… This is harder than I thought…"

Ichiro blew his whistle. "No interruptions, Mezameru! Finish your set or start from scratch!"

"Hah… hah… I could use a drink of water, if that won't send you into a rage…" Yoru said with a slight glare at Ichiro.

"Forget that, Yoru. Let's get you off the field." Doc said as he and Cleo picked him up onto his knees.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ichiro accused, getting their attention. "I didn't say you could get him up!"

"Can't you see that he's completely out of breath?!" Cleo griped. "You might be tough by your methods, but leave us out of it!"

"You need my methods! Now get back to your stations before I give you detention like him!" Ichiro growled.

"You'll do nothing of the sort, Watanabe." A voice said. Ichiro's attention was caught, and he turned to see the principal of the school in the gym, Kohaku next to him. "Yudin here has informed me that you are being unfairly cruel to Mezameru."

"I'd hardly consider 'cruel' as the word to describe how I push my pupils." Ichiro said, crossing his arms.

"We're not talking about how you 'push' us, Watanabe." Kohaku said. "We're talking about calling Yoru-kun's condition fake and calling him just plain lazy."

The principal walked up and handed Ichiro a paper, which he took. "Official doctor's report." The principal said.

Ichiro looked it over, his skepticism increasing with each line. "'Patient is diagnosed with narcolepsy. Treat with care.' You have got to be kidding me!"

Kohaku smirked. "It's right on the dotted line, pal."

"I won't have my students be placed in detention unfairly because of your personal views." The principal said.

This made Ichiro's eyes widen, and he glared at Kohaku. "You ratted me out, you little twerp?!"

"Squeak, squeak!" Kohaku laughed, imitating the animal he was just compared to.

Ichiro gave a small growl and shoved the doctor's report into the principal's chest. "Whatever. It isn't as if I have to listen to you, anyway. My reputation's not at stake because everyone knows how I work. You want me to rescind the detention?" He pointed at Yoru. "I'll only do it if Sleepyhead over there defeats me in a Duel!"

"You're willing to risk that against me?" Yoru said with no surprise at all.

Ichiro turned and grinned. "I'm undefeated, kid, and it's because of my ways that I am. Beating you will prove that you need my training to become tough."

Yoru then smirked. "You don't know me very well… Perhaps I'll teach you. I didn't tolerate how rude you were to me. Your challenge is accepted, Ichiro Watanabe." Yoru then yawned, not breaking his smirk.

*A Few Minutes Later*

Now that both Duelists had their gear, the Duel could commence. "Hey, Yoru-kun!" Kohaku called out. He pulled out Yoru's blanket cover, fully folded, and tossed it to him.

Yoru caught the folded cloth. "Arigatou, Koha-kun. The Duel will be more fitting for me with this." He slung his head and arms through the openings. "There." He looked at Ichiro. "Observe, Watanabe. Your opponent is one who represents what you despise: Sloth."

"Ha! I'll shove those words right down your throat! My Deck will overwhelm you!" Ichiro retorted. "ORYAAAAA! D-Controller, switch on!" His D-Controller, which was orange, sailed into the air, unfolded, and clacked onto his wrist. "Game Mode, hatsudo!" His orange Gamepad clacked onto his D-Controller, the screen flashing.

Yoru nodded. "D-Controller, switch on." His standard white D-Controller positioned itself on its wrist. "Game Mode, hatsudo." His Gamepad attached to the D-Controller, the screen flashing.

"D-Gazer, set!/set." Both players' D-Gazers were placed over their eyes, Ichiro's being a basic white with blue lens.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Both players' D-Gazers flashed, as well as those of the spectators. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

"Duel."

**Yoru LP:4000**

**Ichiro LP:4000**

"Kick his ass, Yoru-kun!" Kohaku called out.

"Show that muscle-head that anyone can win!" Plata said.

"The first move goes to those who train! Ore no turn! Draw!" Ichiro drew his card. "Magic Card, **Rally Time**, hatsudo! With this card, I can send every Magic and Trap Card in my hand back to my Deck, then add 1 Hot-Blooded monster from my Deck to my hand for each card I returned!" Ichiro took three cards and sent them to his Deck, which shuffled itself and gave out three more cards, which were placed in his hand. "Nekketsu Jūshidō (Hot-Blooded Beast Coach) Kangaski, Shoukan!" His monster emerged, or rather, bounced onto the field and did an aerial frontflip, landing on the ground and taking a pose with a grin, revealing itself to be a brown-furred kangaroo with green armor resembling a sports uniform of some sort, with yellow trim, having green skis attached to its feet, holding ski poles in its hands, and having a red visor over its eyes.

**Hot-Blooded Beast Coach Kangaski: Lv.4 FIRE Beast-Warrior/Base ATK:1200/DEF:400**

"Furthermore, since I have a Hot-Blooded monster on my field, Nekketsu Jūshidō Lombardingo, Tokushu Shoukan!" Another monster leapt up from a portal, slammed onto the field, and let out a howl. It was a bipedal red-furred dingo, having armor resembling a maroon shirt with blue sleeves, blue shorts, and red socks.

**Hot-Blooded Beast Coach Lombardingo: Lv.5 FIRE Beast-Warrior/Base ATK:1000/DEF:1000**

"Kangaski no kouka hatsudo! When I Summon a Hot-Blooded monster while he's on the field, I can Special Summon another one from my hand!" Kangaski let out a yell to the sky, a red aura surrounding it. "Nekketsujū (Hot-Blooded Beast) Scorplam, Tokushu Shoukan!" This monster leapt from a portal and slammed its fist, or rather, its pincer, into the ground before standing, revealing an anthropomorphic black scorpion wearing armor resembling a white sports uniform with red trim, pincers in place of hands.

**Hot-Blooded Beast Scorplam: Lv.3 FIRE Beast-Warrior ATK:1300/DEF:800**

"Wow, he's really pulling out some fast Summons." Dizzy mused. However, he heard shuddering and looked to see Kohaku hiding behind Doc, shaking like an earthquake with a fearstruck look. "What's wrong with you, Koha-kun?"

"Must be that new monster. Koha-kun here is afraid of scorpions." Doc said.

"I'm n-not afraid of scorpions. I'm T-T-TERRIFIED of them! There's a difference!" Kohaku said fearfully.

"Now that I control at least two Hot-Blooded monsters, I can Special Summon this monster! Ideyo, Nekketsujū Runninghog!" A tan-and-blue blur dashed back and forth across the field before stopping, revealing itself to be an anthro tan hedgehog wearing a fully blue armored sports uniform.

**Hot-Blooded Beast Runninghog: Lv.7 FIRE Beast-Warrior ATK:2400/DEF:1800**

"Kangaski no kouka hatsudo! Nekketsujū Volleybat, Tokushu Shoukan!" This time, the monster soared above the field for a moment before landing, revealing an anthro gray bat, female this time, wearing female-designed armor after a yellow uniform with white trim.

**Hot-Blooded Beast Volleybat: Lv.4 FIRE Beast-Warrior ATK:1550/DEF:900**

The people watching on the sidelines gasped. "He just Summoned five monsters in a single turn!" Cleo gasped.

"This guy's Deck is faster than any I've ever seen…" Doc breathed.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! How's that for an opening, kid?" Ichiro laughed. "It took me years to get this formula down, but it's never failed me before! Turn end!"

"Boku no turn. Draw." Yoru drew his card. "Magic Card, **Midnight Snack**, hatsudo. While I control no cards, I am allowed to draw two cards." He drew his extra cards. "As a result, however, I am unable to Summon any monsters or place any cards facedown. Turn end." With seven cards in his hand, Yoru sent one to the Graveyard.

"Eh?! I put up a wall of monsters, and all you can do is send a card to the Graveyard?!" Ichiro wondered.

"Sometimes, being indirect is the best strategy." Yoru replied. Ichiro seemed ticked.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** Yoru loaded four Game Cards into her D-Controller while Ichiro loaded four of his own. The cards appeared and were cycled through before landing on one of Ichiro's Game Cards. **"RHYTHM SLUGGER."** An image of what looked look like a baseball field appeared in the AR field, a pitching machine visible on the pitcher's mound. Yoru and Ichiro's D-Vatars rushed into view before being outfit-changed into white baseball uniforms, Yoru's having purple trim and Ichiro's having orange, both of them carrying a baseball bat, the screen positioning in 2D split-screen, Yoru on top and Ichiro on bottom. **"MEMORIZE THE PATTERN OF THE SHOT BASEBALLS. PRESS A BUTTON TO SWING THE BAT AND HIT THE BALLS. EACH SUCCESSFUL HIT GAINS A POINT. THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF 6 ROUNDS WINS."** The two D-Vatars readied themselves on their respective home plate, their bats ready as the pitching machine clanked to life.

**GO!**

Music with a steady beat began to play in the background as the pitching machine loaded itself.

**Round 1**

A "DING" was heard, and four baseballs were shot from the machine along with the beat. A few beats passed focusing on the D-Vatars before another "DING" was heard, indicating their turn with the rhythm. Both D-Vatars hit all four baseballs with no problems.

**Round 2**

"DING" The machine fired off five baseballs this time, the back beats having three. The screen focused on the D-Vatars. *beat* *beat* *beat* "DING" Five swings went at the baseballs, but Yoru's D-Vatar missed one.

**Round 3**

"DING" Another series of five baseballs, the front beats having three this time. *beat* *beat* *beat* "DING" Both D-Vatars managed to hit all five.

**Round 4**

"DING" The machine fired four baseballs, but they were in an odd pattern. *beat* *beat* *beat* "DING" Both D-Vatars missed one baseball, making three apiece.

**Round 5**

"DING" The machine fired five baseballs in an odd pattern. *beat* *beat* *beat* "DING" Yoru's D-Vatar only got three while Ichiro's D-Vatar got four.

**Round 6**

"DING" The last wave was six baseballs, two sets of three in rapid succession. *beat* *beat* *beat* "DING" Yoru hit five baseballs, but Ichiro hit all six. The music came to an end.

**FINISH!**

The screen changed to show both D-Vatars on one screen as they turned around, and their scores were tallied up.

**Yoru: 24**

**Ichiro: 27**

**Ichiro Wins!**

Ichiro's D-Vatar let out a yell to the sky before facing the screen with a grin, while Yoru's D-Vatar merely shrugged, yawned, and sat down, falling asleep. **"ICHIRO WATANABE HAS WON, SO HIS MONSTERS' ATTACKS CANNOT BE NEGATED DURING HIS NEXT BATTLE PHASE."** The AR screen vanished as a red aura coated Ichiro's monsters, and their Game Cards were ejected from the Gamepads.

"Aw, man, as if Yoru wasn't already in a tough spot!" Dizzy cried. "Now he can't even negate their attacks?! He's done for!"

"Don't be too sure, Dizzy-kun." Kohaku said, having come out of his fear stupor. "Yoru-kun's more than meets the eye."

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Ichiro drew his card. "You should've put something down to help, but it probably wouldn't anyway! You're finished, kid! All right, my Hot-Blooded team… DIRECT ATTACK! ORYAAAAA!" All five of his monsters unleashed an attack: Kangaski hefted himself on his poles and launched his skis through springs on his boots, Lombardingo conjured a flaming soccer ball and kicked it, Scorplam conjured a flaming basketball in his pincer, jumped up, and chucked it, Volleybat kept a flaming volleyball aloft for a moment before jumping up and spiking it, and Runninghog simply dashed forward toward Yoru.

Yoru merely looked on as all five attacks came at him, then his head looked down, shielding his eyes with his hair. "I won't even feel it." All of a sudden, a rainbow-colored bubble formed over him, giving off smaller bubbles. The three flaming spheres struck the bubble but exploded on impact, Kangaski's skis bounced off it, and Runninghog merely slammed into the bubble. None of the attacks breached the bubble, and Runninghog jumped back to Ichiro's field rubbing its head.

"Nani?!" Ichiro cried as Kangaski retracted its skis.

The people on the bleachers were shocked as well. "How did he do that?" Dizzy cried.

Yoru looked up with a smirk. "The card I sent to the Graveyard was a Trap Card known as **Heavy Slumber**." He explained. "While that card is in the Graveyard and I control no cards, any Battle Damage dealt to me is reduced to zero."

**Yoru LP:4000**

Ichiro growled. "You think you're so clever, don't you? I'll show you! Turn end!"

"Boku no turn. Draw." Yoru drew his card. "I guess I'll throw this dog a bone. Slumber Dragonling, Shoukan!" His monster emerged from a bunch of soothing bubbles as a lime green baby dragon with a yellow chest area, snoozing away with a bubble coming from its nose. It also wore a pink diaper.

**Slumber Dragonling: Lv.1 EARTH Dragon ATK:0/DEF:1000**

"EH?!" Ichiro cried. Several shouts of "KAWAII!" came from some of the girls in the crowd.

"Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end." Yoru said, his facedown emerging.

_'What's up with this kid? He's not even trying to fight me!'_ Ichiro thought.

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** Yoru loaded his four Game Cards into her D-Controller while Ichiro loaded his remaining three. The cards appeared and were cycled through before landing on one of Yoru's Game Cards. **"ALARM STOP."** The image of what looked like two beds with a nightstand between them emerged, two alarm clocks on the stand. The two D-Vatars were sleeping in the beds.

Ichiro sweatdropped. "You've gotta be kidding me…"

**"A TIME IS GIVEN ON-SCREEN, AND THE CLOCKS WILL COUNT TOWARD IT. PRESS A BUTTON TO STOP THE CLOCK."** The AR system explained. **"THE PLAYER CLOSEST TO THE SPECIFIED TIME WINS, BUT IF A PLAYER GOES OVER THE TIME, THE ALARM WILL GO OFF, RESULTING IN A LOSS."** The time given was 7:00, and the times on the clocks both said 6:59 with 15 seconds to go. The two D-Vatars began slapping their hands on the stand to find their clocks.

**GO!**

The clocks began to count up the seconds, but after only a couple seconds, the timers were covered up. "Nani?" Ichiro gasped.

Yoru, however, was keeping track in his head. _'6… 7… 8… 9… 10…'_ When he counted to 14, Yoru pressed the A Button, causing his D-Vatar to slam the clock and stop the incoming alarm.

Ichiro, however, didn't react quick enough, and his clock blared its alarm, causing Ichiro's D-Vatar to shoot straight up out of its bed in utter shock.

**FINISH!**

Yoru's D-Vatar sat up from the bed and blinked slightly, his clock opening to reveal only 67 milliseconds to 7:00. Ichiro's clock was at 7:00 with red digits, the alarm having died down.

**Yoru Wins!**

Yoru's D-Vatar scratched the back of its head sheepishly before looking forward with a sleepy smile. At the same time, however, Ichiro's D-Vatar slammed back down onto its bed with a dazed expression. **"YORU MEZAMERU HAS WON AND MAY DRAW ONE CARD."** Yoru drew his card, and the AR screen vanished, the Game Cards being ejected from the Gamepads.

"Ore no turn! Draw!" Ichiro drew his card. "I'm not gonna let some sleepyhead beat me. You got lucky last time, but since your field isn't empty, you're gonna take the full brunt of my attacks!"

"Before I do that, however, let me cut in. Trap Card, **Contagious Yawn**, hatsudo!" Yoru's facedown flipped up, and Dragonling let out a long yawn, creating a rainbow-colored bubble from its mouth which floated over to Ichiro's field. It popped in Kangaski's face, causing him to yawn as well. The rest of Ichiro's monsters yawned as well.

"What was that? It'll take more than that to stop us! Since I control another Hot-Blooded monster, Scorplam can attack you directly, so you can't use Heavy Slumber against it! Go, Slam Dunk Meteor!" Forming another flaming basketball in its pincers, the anthro scorpion leapt up high before throwing the ball straight down, causing an explosion around Yoru.

**Yoru LP:2700**

"Now, Nekketsujū Runninghog, attack Slumber Dragonling! Speed Swipe!" Runninghog ran in place for a moment before dashing straight forward. Dragonling didn't even wake up before it was swiped across the head at intense speeds, causing it to explode.

"Slumber Dragonling no kouka hatsudo. If destroyed by battle in Attack Mode, the Battle Damage is reduced by 1000." Yoru explained, a rainbow bubble appearing over him briefly before popping.

**Yoru LP:1300**

"Kuso… You're stubborn, kid." Ichiro said. "But you won't last much longer! Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

"I should be saying that. Boku no turn. Draw!" Yoru drew his card. "Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end. And because my turn is over, Contagious Yawn no kouka hatsudo." Kangaski suddenly yawned before falling onto his rear. He was soon heard snoring.

"What did you do to my monster?!" Ichiro cried. All of a sudden, one by one, the rest of his monsters collapsed in sleep.

"Contagious Yawn forces all your monsters into Defense Mode, and you can't switch them out of it during your next turn." Yoru explained. "I've quelled your beasts for the time being."

_'Quell… Just like the riddle!'_ Kohaku thought, pulling out the Silver Card. It began to glow faintly. _'Yoru-kun's solved the riddle!'_

**"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."** The AR system said. With a brighter glow, the Silver Card vanished from Kohaku's hand as the players loaded their remaining Game Cards. As the Game Cards appeared in the AR field, one of Yoru's cards turned fully white before being replaced with the Silver Card. The roulette spun, but it stopped dead on the Silver Card. **"ACCESSING WORLD MAP."** The silver card gave off a bright flash of light, and when it died down, everyone was in the Medieval Plains area, and Yoru was standing on the blue circle from World 1-2.

"It happened again…" Yoru breathed. His D-Vatar appeared next to him and waved.

"Okay… this is pretty cool." Ichiro said.

"The card said to 'quell the beasts with blood of heat'. Hot-Blooded, duh. Yoru knocked them out with Contagious Yawn." Kohaku explained. "Let's see what he can do!" Yoru saw his D-Vatar move down to the red circle down the path, so he followed it. Looking left, he saw another AR screen with words printed on it.

**World 1-3: Joust-Through!**

"Let's go." Yoru said, hitting the A Button on his Gamepad, causing the AR screen to become a gate, which opened. His D-Vatar rushed forward and leapt through the gate.

The gate widened and changed to look like a new AR screen, which showed Yoru's D-Vatar decked out in knight's armor on top of a horse somewhere in Medieval Plains, on a long path. A jousting lance was in its hand. Kukiran then flew into view. **"Way to go! You solved the riddle for World 1-3! Now you can take on this game!"** Noises were soon heard. ** "Huh? Uh-oh! Look!" ** Yoru's D-Vatar looked ahead and saw a bunch of The Fabled Peggulsuses rushing forward, accompanied by a larger version of Little Tropper. **"Here they come! This game is easy! Mash the A Button as quick as you can to build up Joust Power! If you have enough, then you can break through the enemy line with no problem! But if you don't get enough, you'll lose! Try and get through all three rounds! If you do, I'll give yo- Eh? Ehehe… Well, I WAS going to give your monsters 1000 Attack Points if you win, but you don't have any monsters… Oh well. Go for it anyway! Good luck!"** Kukiran then flew off, and Yoru's D-Vatar looked forward with a readied lance. Its horse neighed and reared back before darting forward down the path toward the army.

**GO!**

Yoru quickly began mashing the A Button on his Gamepad as his D-Vatar rushed toward the enemies, causing a Joust Meter to fill up quickly. As it passed halfway, something began to push the other way on the meter, but Yoru kept up his pace, managing to keep the meter going right until it was full. A green windy aura was coming from his D-Vatar's lance as the horse was going at full speed. Then, the D-Vatar impacted the front of the army, and time seemed to stop for a moment before his D-Vatar plowed right through the enemies with no problems. "Yosh!"

"Nice one, Yoru!" Plata said. However, a new wave of enemies emerged: An army of Little Troopers, spearheaded by a large Mainspring Hunter. With his target in sight, Yoru hammered on the A Button to build up the Joust Power. As the meter filled, something pushed back against the power, pushing harder this time, but Yoru still kept up the pressure and got the meter to full before his D-Vatar impacted the enemy line, stopping time for a moment before smashing right through the enemies.

"Too easy. Only one more." Yoru mused. The final wave emerged, showing an army of Mainspring Hunters spearheaded by its final master: Gaia the Fierce Knight. "Ikuze (Let's go)!" He hammered down the A Button again, finding it more difficult to keep the power up. As the bar began to struggle again, Yoru didn't let up on the pressure. Finally, his D-Vatar impacted the enemy lines, and a prompt showed up telling Yoru to keep tapping, which he did. With the pressure he gave, Yoru made his D-Vatar smash right through the final wave and destroy Gaia in the process.

**FINISH!**

Yoru's D-Vatar's horse slowly came to a stop, and his D-Vatar smiled at the "camera". Kukiran then flew in and around the D-Vatar for a moment before stopping in front of it. **"You did it! I'm a little bummed that I couldn't give any Attack Points to your monsters, but I'm so happy that you beat this game! I hope you play it again sometime! Bye-bye!"** Kukiran flew off, and the AR screen turned white, Yoru's D-Vatar jumping back through the gate portal into the world to rejoin the original. The red circle for 1-3 turned blue, and slightly down the path, another red circle appeared in front of a bridge. Everyone's vision was blinded by white, and when their vision came back, they were back in the original AR space, the game screen gone.

"What… just happened?" Ichiro asked as the Game Cards were ejected.

"I'm not sure myself." Yoru said, throwing the Silver Card back to Kohaku. "But this Duel is over."

"We'll see about that! Ore no turn! Draw!" Ichiro drew his card.

"Trap Card, **Bad Nightmare**, hatsudo!" Yoru flipped his facedown, causing a shadowy figure to emerge from it.

"Eh?" Ichiro gasped. The figure then split into five and darted forward, infusing each copy into one of Ichiro's monsters, causing them to groan in pain.

"Bad Nightmare takes each Defense Mode monster you control and inflicts 800 points of damage to you for each one." Yoru explained. "That totals 4000 points, which is all you have! As I said, the Duel is over, Watanabe… and I didn't have to attack you at all. I beat your spirit with my sloth." The five copies of the shadow figure emerged from Ichiro's monsters, re-formed into one, and grinned at Ichiro.

"No… way…" The man breathed before the shadow dashed right through him, causing him to groan loudly and fall to one knee.

**Yoru LP:1300**

**Ichiro LP:0 – LOSER**

The buzzer blared with Yoru being victorious. "Yatta, Yoru!" His friends cheered as the Augmented Reality vanished.

"That's the way to teach him a lesson!" Kohaku cheered.

Yoru gave a small smile as he approached Ichiro. "That was a good Duel. As rude as you were, I respect you as an opponent."

Ichiro looked at him briefly before standing up and smiling. "You too, kid. A man knows when he's beat." He said. "I gotta ask: How did you come up with those combos? I've been attacked 10 times in one Duel and still won, yet you won without attacking me once! I can't understand it!"

"As I said, sometimes the proper way to win is by being indirect." Yoru told him as his friends came out to the field.

Ichiro nodded. "I guess I have a lot to learn about people like you. No detention for you, as we agreed." Yoru nodded in response. Ichiro then bent down. "But I still expect big things from you, kid. I'll cut you slack for your condition, but if you're up, you'd better not slack."

"…No promises." Yoru said, getting a laugh out of both of them.

*The Next Day*

Ichiro's whistle was heard blowing. "All right, everyone, let's see if we can't do this today!" He said. "Yudin! Try and clear 10 boxes!"

"I guess I don't have a choice." Kohaku laughed as he got into position. "It is ON!" He darted forward and leapt, slamming the top of the stack, and managing to propel himself over it. He wobbled when he touched down, but managed to stick the landing. "Ha ha, yeah!"

"Nice jump, Yudin!" Ichiro complimented. "I guess all that was needed was the right mindset, huh?"

"I guess so, heh heh!" Kohaku said with his hand behind his head.

Ichiro looked back at the clipboard. "OK… Mezameru!" No response, confusing him. "Is he-?"

"Yep." Kohaku said, pointing at a sleeping Yoru on the bleachers.

Rather than get mad, however, Ichiro just chuckled. "The kid's all tuckered out. All right, I'll put him down for later. Nitta! Take Mezameru's jump!"

Another student was heard groaning, getting a laugh out of Yoru's friends and Ichiro. Yoru, however, just kept on what he was doing: Sleeping like a little baby.

* * *

***7 second music***

**I will not lie down, roll over**  
***3 second music***  
**I will not just let it by**  
***3 second music***

**I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh**  
**You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero**

**I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now**  
**With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down**  
**Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow**  
**There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now**

**10…**  
**9…**  
**8…**  
**7…**  
**6…**  
**5…**  
**4…**  
**3…**  
**2…**  
**1…**  
**0…**

* * *

*Preview*

Doc: Uh-oh. Keep your eyes peeled. SHE'S back.

Kohaku: Oh, I know who you mean. Looks like I'm gonna get another shot this year.

Yoru: Someone man the lifeboats.

?: You still haven't got the message… I will never be a part of anyone else's life.

Kohaku: We'll just see about that.

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "The Heart Held Out of Reach – Nazoko Ikari"! It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards (Note: All "Hot-Bloodeds" are "Enthusiastics" in the TCG.)

Hot-Blooded Beast Coach Kangaski  
Level 4 FIRE Beast-Warrior/Base  
ATK:1200/DEF:400  
When you summon an "Hot-Blooded" monster, except by this card's effect, while this card is face-up on the field, You can Special Summon 1 "Hot-Blooded" monster from your hand to your side of the field.

Hot-Blooded Beast Coach Lombardingo  
Level 5 FIRE Beast-Warrior/Base  
ATK:1000/DEF:1000  
If you control at least 1 "Hot-Blooded" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. This card cannot be selected as an attack target while your at least one other "Hot-Blooded" monster. You can only control 1 "Hot-Blooded Beast Coach Lombardingo."

Hot-Blooded Beast Scorplam  
Level 3 FIRE Beast-Warrior  
ATK:1300/DEF:800  
If you control another "Hot-Blooded" monster, this card can attack your opponent directly.

Hot-Blooded Beast Runninghog  
Level 7 FIRE Beast-Warrior  
ATK:2400/DEF:1800  
While you control 2 or more "Hot-Blooded" monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand to your side of the field.

Hot-Blooded Beast Volleybat  
Level 4 FIRE Beast-Warrior  
ATK:1550/DEF:900  
Once per turn, while you control another "Hot-Blooded" monster: You can reduce the ATK and DEF of 1 monster your opponent controls by 400.

Slumber Dragonling  
Level 1 EARTH Dragon  
ATK:0/DEF:1000  
This card cannot attack. If this card battles an opponent's monster: The Battle Damage that would result from that battle is reduced by 1000. If the result of this reduction is a negative number: Gain Life Points equal to the result as if it was not a negative number.

Rally Time  
Normal Spell Card  
Return all Spell and Trap Cards in your hand to your Deck: Add 1 "Hot-Blooded" monster from your Deck to your hand for each card returned.

Midnight Snack  
Normal Spell Card  
Activate only at the start of your Main Phase 1 while you control no cards. Draw 2 cards. It is now the End Phase of this turn.

Heavy Slumber  
Normal Trap Card  
While this card is in your Graveyard and you control no cards: You take no Battle Damage.

Contagious Yawn  
Normal Trap Card  
Activate at the start of your opponent's Main Phase 1 while you control a face-up monster. During the End Phase of your next turn: Switch all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls that were on the field when this card was activated to Defense Position. Those monsters cannot be switched to Attack Position until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn.

Bad Nightmare  
Normal Trap Card  
Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each face-up Defense Position monster they control.

Rhythm Slugger  
2-Player VS Game Card  
Follow the rhythm of the baseballs released from the pitching machine. Press A Button to swing the bat. Whoever hits the most baseballs wins, and that player's attacks during their next Battle Phase cannot be negated.

Alarm Stop  
2-Player VS Game Card  
The alarm clock will count toward a designated time. Press A Button to stop the alarm clock. Whoever stops their clock closest to the designated time wins, but if either player's clock hits the designated time, that player loses instantly. The clock timer will be covered up after a few seconds. Whoever wins this game draws 1 card.

World 1-3: Joust-Through!  
1-Player Game Card  
Repeatedly press A Button to build up a Joust Meter as you rush toward a line of enemies. As the meter gets higher, the meter will struggle. If the Joust Meter is full enough, you will smash through the enemy line. If you smash through 3 enemy lines, you win, and your monsters gain 1000 ATK until your next End Phase.

* * *

**Vile: Lesson learned: Regardless of what you believe in, it gives you no right to treat someone unfairly because of it. A LOT of people in this world could stand to learn this. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now, and good night, everybody!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	7. Level 007

**Vile: Guh... Another late nighter. People, I am SO sorry for these late updates. I try to get these done quickly, but it never seems to happen. I really hope this isn't costing me readers: You guys are what made me famous here on FanFiction in the first place, and I owe you all! But I'm going to bed for the night, so before I head out, I've got Chapter 7 of GSTART right here for you! Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 007: The Heart Held Out of Reach – Nazoko Ikari

As the day began to lead up to the start of school at Delta High, a monorail made the stop at Chi Station, and the passengers departed. However, one stayed behind until all had left, then they got off themselves. Each step seemed to happen ominously as the person approached the school, long teal hair being seen as they walked. As this person got closer, the students who were hanging out front saw them and went wide-eyed. Those who were in the center of the pathway moved to the sides to make a path for the person walking dead center.

That is, except for Doc and Plata, who were currently engaged in their own conversation and didn't even notice them. "You've been keeping track of how much protein's in your diet, right? For someone in a tough field like yours, you'll need it." Doc said.

"Not a problem with me, Doc. You're looking at a carnivore here." Plata replied. However, she caught sight of the person who walked right past them, widening her eyes. "…H-Her?!"

"Who?" Doc asked, looking in her direction, but his eyes mirrored hers. He recognized the mysterious girl as well. "I thought she was gone…" Plata nodded in response.

Plata then saw a timid-looking boy start to approach the mysterious girl. "H-Hey, don't try it, man!" She cried. The unknown girl kept moving with the boy following her until they both vanished into the school.

Doc and Plata looked worried. "This cannot be good… Come on. We'd better follow them." Doc said. Plata nodded, and the two of them headed into the school. However, there was no sign of either of them.

"W-Where'd they go?" Plata asked.

"Where'd who go?" Kohaku's voice asked. Doc and Plata turned around and saw Kohaku behind them.

"Uh… no one." Plata tried to say innocently. Based on Kohaku's reaction, it wasn't working, making her sigh. "Do we dare tell him, Doc?"

Doc hesitated, but also sighed. "He's going to badger us if we don't."

"If you don't what? Come on, details, guys!" Kohaku said, slightly anxious.

"Koha-kun… SHE'S back." Doc said.

"'She'?" Kohaku wondered, pondering the meaning of his sentence. However, within seconds, his head put the pieces together. "Oh, you mean-"

"YIPE!" A voice was heard crying, followed by a BANG of a locker, which startled all three of them.

"…I think we just heard the result of something." Doc said. He pointed. "That way." The three of them headed in the direction of the BANG, eventually finding the boy who approached the mysterious girl sitting and leaning against a locker with a dazed expression on his face.

"Ooh… You all right, man?" Kohaku asked.

"What a knockout…" The boy could only utter. In his hand, however, was a slip of paper. Kohaku bent down and picked it up, finding a symbol on the front: A heart protected by a barrier, hands being blocked by it.

Kohaku smirked. "I'd recognize this symbol anywhere."

"You should. It's a warning." A female voice said. Kohaku looked up from the paper and came face-to-face with the apparent culprit: A fair-skinned 17-year-old girl, same height as him, with long teal hair past her rear end that was VERY messy, looking as if she had bed head with multiple bangs coming over her face. However, the direct center of her hair was a solid white skunk stripe, starting as a third of the length of her hair at the halfway mark of her back, going up and thinning out at the front of her head, making her center bang white. She wore a baggy light blue t-shirt that seemed too big for her, gray sweatpants, and white shoes. Most striking was her eyes: The cyan orbs had a sharp Tsurime style that gave a hard, negative stare.

Kohaku's smirk didn't falter. "Well, well, well… Nazoko Ikari. AKA…" He held out the paper with the symbol on it. "…the Unreachable Heart."

**_(Nazoko Ikari Voice Actor: Kara Edwards as Videl from Dragon Ball Z)_**

"Take note, Yudin." Nazoko deadpanned. "If you come near me again…" She pointed at the boy on the floor. "…that will happen to you."

Kohaku gripped his heart in an act. "Oh, your words hurt me so much! Please stop it, Nazo-chan!" Kohaku overreacted. Nazoko's stare narrowed as Kohaku came out of his act with laughter.

"I gave you no permission to call me that… so cease it." Nazoko said.

"Get used to it, Nazo-chan. It's my little name for you." Kohaku said with his arms crossed and a grin. Nazoko looked angry. "You know, you're cute when you're mad."

"You still haven't gotten the message, Yudin." Nazoko said. "You act as though I'm someone familiar to you. It's as if you don't see the barrier that keeps me from you. Your ignorance is annoying." Nazoko turned her back to Kohaku. "It's as the symbol says: I will allow no one to get close to my heart. I need no one's help to live my life."

"…And that's why you're back at Delta High? Last I checked, you were spouting this when you switched to being homeschooled a few years ago." Kohaku said. "Not very consistent, are we?"

"…An unexpected financial situation." Nazoko replied. "If circumstances allowed me to remain in homeschooling, I wouldn't be here."

"Riiiiiiight." Kohaku said. "Yeah, I don't believe you one bit. Listen, Nazo-chan. You can spout this loner nonsense until the day we graduate, but by the end of school, you're gonna need someone to lean on. No one can go through life alone."

"…Naïve baka." Nazoko retorted. "You're no psychoanalyst. You can't see what goes on in my head."

Kohaku laughed a bit. "Whatever, Nazo-chan." Nazoko started to walk off. "Oh, before I forget."

"What now…?" Nazoko said in exasperation, stopping again.

"You ever thought about a new outfit? That one doesn't suit you." Kohaku said with a grin.

Nazoko clenched her fists. "…Stay out of my life, Kohaku Yudin… I'm warning you." She looked back and glared at him. "Those who try to reach out to me suffer dire consequences." She walked off without another word.

Doc gulped. "Koha-kun, how are you not nervous right now? She wasn't even talking to me, yet I feel like I just had a gun pointed in my face!"

"I can see right through Nazo-chan. That's not how she really feels." Kohaku said simply.

"She talked as if she was about to kill you! You think she's some docile kitten under that?!" Plata cried.

"That's what anime and manga call a tsundere, Plata-chan." Kohaku replied, still grinning. "And every tsundere has their breaking point. Nazo-chan can try and repel me all she wants… but that barrier's gonna break eventually." He beat his fists together. "I might've failed last year, but this year, I'll crack that shell but good." His eyes twinkled as he gave a confident chuckle, an image of Nazoko in his mind's line of vision.

* * *

_***8 second intro***_

_**Don't give up the fight! Play on!**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

_***rest***_

_**With every step you take you grow**_**_  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

_**Level yourself up, and you can make it through**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

_**It is ON!**_

* * *

The day had gone by relatively quick, and Kohaku and his friends had made it to lunch. "So, let me get this straight, man." Dizzy said, munching on a part of his bento. "You are trying to get Nazoko Ikari, who is, from what I've heard, THE most cold-hearted chick in the entire school, maybe even the whole Delta District, to be your friend?"

"That's a good way of shellnutting it." Kohaku said with his eyes closed and a smile.

"We've told him multiple times already that he's crazy for trying this." Doc said, munching a rice ball and gulping his bite. "Nazoko is unbudgeable: Multiple people have tried to get close to her. All except Koha-kun ended up like Kiyomaro did earlier today."

"Wow, Koha-kun, you must be special." Dizzy said.

"No, he just keeps his distance or actually fights her off." Yoru said. "Nazoko can be a nasty fighter."

"Yeesh. Based on this, Koha-kun's gonna get himself killed by that girl." Dizzy breathed.

"Some things in life are worth the risk, Dizzy-kun." Kohaku said seriously, slurping his drink. "Ah. If there's one thing I don't do, it's let someone go when they think they want to be alone. That kind of attitude isn't good for someone."

"Koha-kun's got a point. He's friends with nearly every kid in our grade." Plata told Dizzy. "He once said making friends with all of them was his goal for high school."

Dizzy grinned. "Anyone who does that should get an award." He and Kohaku both laughed.

"Get off me, you little leech!" Nazoko's voice shrieked. The group turned and saw Nazoko kicking off a muscular senior student with a glare, the student landing on his butt. "Touch me again and I'll ensure that what makes you a 'man' no longer functions!"

"Ngh, geez, say it, don't stamp it, bitch!" The student groaned. "How come Yudin never got an ass-kicking from you?"

Nazoko scoffed. "Yudin gets lucky. I've tried numerous times to drill it in, but the idiot refuses to listen."

"Ya talkin' about me, Nazo-chan?" Kohaku called, making Nazoko snap her head to him. "Gee, I didn't know ya cared! Bahahahahahaha!"

Nazoko narrowed her eyes, glancing back to the student. "I'll deal with you later…" She then stomped her way toward Kohaku and his friends, the senior scampering away in the meantime. Kohaku stopped laughing when he saw Nazoko's harsh glare in his face. "Didn't I warn you to sever your contact with me?"

Kohaku pulled out his Gamepad, tapped a few screens, and pulled up what looked like a list. "…Heh heh! Not only have you said that, this time makes the 30th time you've said that, Nazo-chan!" He said, showing her the list with a cheeky grin, his D-Vatar wearing a party hat and blowing into a party horn. His shirt was soon grabbed harshly. "Whoa!" He was pulled so Nazoko's cyan glare was staring him right in the face.

"You think this is some sort of game, you ignorant pixel-brain?" Nazoko asked.

"Everything's a game to me!" Kohaku said without missing a beat. His friends started laughing at that.

"She walked right into that one!" Cleo said while laughing.

Growling, Nazoko threw him back and buried her face into her hand. "Ugh… You are insufferable… Why did I end up in a school with the most… friendly person imaginable?"

"In my eyes, it's a sign that this anti-social act is supposed to die off, Nazo-chan." Kohaku said honestly. Nazoko glared at him. "Look, I don't know what bug crawled up your shorts, but it's about time that bug found a new spot to suck blood from."

_**BAM!**_

Kohaku recoiled with a stinging cheek from Nazoko's punch. Shaking his head, Kohaku felt his cheek. "Damn! What an impact!"

"It's not an 'act', idiot." Nazoko said, moving her hand back to her side. "I don't want to be your friend. I don't want you in my life. I don't want ANYONE in my life!"

All of a sudden, Dizzy jabbed a finger in her face. "You should be grateful that Koha-kun's even making an effort toward making you his friend! With an attitude like that, I'm surprised you haven't landed your ass in detention already!"

"Forget detention. I'm surprised she hasn't been already kicked out of the school." Cleo mused.

Nazoko's glare softened to a mere stare. "There's a difference between desiring solitude and becoming a sheer rule-breaker. I can be decent in terms of the rules while maintaining my desire to be alone."

"You sound like you have symptoms of anti-social personality disorder, Nazoko." Doc mused, having an article pulled up on his Gamepad. "Perhaps you need to undergo a psychiatric evaluation."

"You're no doctor despite your nickname, Robinson." Nazoko deadpanned. "My warning extends to all of you, including your new friend. Leave. Me. Alone. For good."

Kohaku had a confused look, then did a makeshift ear-cleaning maneuver with his pinky finger, getting some wax. "Huh. No wonder I couldn't hear." He flicked it away and looked back at Nazoko with a grin. "Now, what were you saying?" Nazoko went to punch Kohaku again, but Kohaku blocked it, grabbed her fist, and pushed her arm back. "Nice try."

"Release my hand." Nazoko said menacingly. Kohaku did so, and Nazoko pulled back. "I'm done dealing with you. Maybe if I just ignore you, you'll get the message."

"You've tried that, Nazo-chan. 9th Grade. It didn't work." Kohaku said with an easygoing smile.

Nazoko growled. "…You'll understand it eventually, Kohaku no baka. I will NEVER warm up to you. My barrier will forever block you from my heart." She turned around and walked off without another word.

Kohaku just smirked at her. "Such cliched dialogue doesn't help your case, Nazo-chan!" He called to her, but he got no response this time.

"Why do I feel like laughing my ass off right now?" Dizzy asked. Doc merely did an aside glance.

*Later*

Kohaku and Yoru walked into their sixth period class and took their seats. "Ah, Artifact Studies. My favorite class." However, Yoru looked to the side and went bug-eyed. Tapping Kohaku twice to get his attention, he then pointed. Kohaku followed his finger and got a surprise: Sitting alone, with a sizable gap between their seat and the nearest person (that being Kohaku himself), was Nazoko Ikari, having a bored/angry expression on her face. Kohaku gained a small grin. "Ain't this a little treat?" He whispered to Yoru, before glancing back at Nazoko.

The girl apparently heard him, glancing to her side. Upon seeing Kohaku, her bored/angry expression turned to pure anger before she turned back to the board. _'Of all the rotten luck… I get a class with this nimrod…'_ Her anger only seemed to widen Kohaku's grin.

Then, the teacher came in: A man in his mid-late 30s with short pale brown hair, purple eyes, and wearing a brown vest over a white shirt, blue pants, and brown shoes. "Nice to see you all today, class." He said, sitting at his desk. He picked up a piece of paper on his desk and read it. "Who is…Nazoko Ikari?"

**_(Mr. Konazuyo Voice Actor: Daran Norris as Mercurymon from Digimon Frontier)_**

"That would be her, Konazuyo-sensei." Kohaku said, pointing to the teal-haired girl.

Mr. Kozunayo nodded. "Arigatou, Kohaku." He looked at Nazoko. "Welcome to the class, Ikari-chan."

"'Welcome' is a relative state of mind." She said flatly, giving him an ugly look. "And don't use '-chan' at the end of my name."

Kohaku and Mr. Konazuyo sweatdropped, and several of the students talked amongst themselves. "Wow, what a bitch." "She must not've gotten a lot of sleep." "I hope I don't end up teamed with her."

Mr. Konazuyo wasn't sure how to follow Nazoko's comment. "O…kay…" He mused before turning back to the class. "Now that we're, ahem, 'acquainted' with Ikari, let's begin. Today's lesson will take place on the class D-Server, so everyone sync up."

"My kind of lesson!" Kohaku said with a hand clap before pulling out his D-Pad. As the other students pulled theirs out, Kohaku tapped the "Sync Up" button, causing his D-Vatar to give a short hop and wave before a portal opened up, which it jumped through. The Gamepad's screen then changed to show a wide-open server with a D-Vatar already in it: Mr. Konazuyo's. Kohaku's D-Vatar jumped in and waved to the teacher D-Vatar, who waved back as the rest of the class's D-Vatars warped in.

Despite the clamor amongst the D-Vatars, Mr. Konazuyo's D-Vatar noticed something odd. A counter with "00" appeared above its head as it began counting the student D-Vatars present. The total count came to 28 student D-Vatars, and the teacher D-Vatar looked back at Mr. Konazuyo with a confused shrug. "That's strange. There are 29 students. Who's missing?" Pulling up a student list, his D-Vatar began crossing off each student whose D-Vatar was present. Eventually only one was uncrossed: Nazoko. "Hmm… Ikari."

Nazoko gave him a glance from her space stare. "What?"

"Your D-Vatar wasn't sent into the server. Is your D-Controller not working?" The teacher asked.

Nazoko merely looked away. "Socializing is not what I do." However, her Gamepad (which was basic white) suddenly had its screen light up. When she looked at it, Kohaku's D-Vatar was waving at her with a cheeky grin. She immediately snapped her head to Kohaku. "What is your D-Vatar doing inside my D-Controller?!"

"Huh?" Kohaku asked, confused. Nazoko showed him the screen, which had his D-Vatar looking around with confusion. Kohaku smiled and laughed at his virtual copy. "I think he's looking for your D-Vatar." When Kohaku said that, though, his D-Vatar scratched his head and jumped through a portal that took it back to the main server. It walked up to Mr. Konazuyo's D-Vatar and conversed with it in their squeaky language.

When they finished, the teacher's D-Vatar looked at its owner and gave a speech bubble with a D-Vatar's head covered with a red X, making Mr. Konazuyo half-frown. "Hmm. In all the time D-Vatars have existed, this is the first student I've had to not have one."

"I told you, I don't socialize." Nazoko said. "D-Vatars encourage socialization. Therefore, I never made one."

Mr. Konazuyo fiddled with his D-Controller. "Well, since the D-Vatars are needed for today's lesson, I guess you'll have to improvise." From a portal, a red-haired female D-Vatar with a basic outfit emerged. "You'll be using this guest D-Vatar for the lesson."

Nazoko's eyes widened. "You can't honestly expect me to willingly use this… thing."

"You will if you don't want to fail this class, Ikari. We'll be doing a lot of this type of lesson throughout the year." Mr. Konazuyo told her. Nazoko growled at him briefly, but he ignored her. "Okay, everyone. You'll be put into teams of two for this, with one group of three." The D-Vatars in the room began to clamor for a partner(s).

Kohaku and Yoru's D-Vatars immediately high-fived each other, signifying their partnership. As the D-Vatars began to partner up, one was left: The guest D-Vatar used by Nazoko. Kohaku looked over at the teal-haired girl briefly, then made a quick message on his Gamepad. The message formed into an envelope, which his D-Vatar grabbed, then it walked over to the guest. Unlike Nazoko, this D-Vatar didn't look as if it was ticked off at a group assignment. Nazoko's guest D-Vatar noticed Kohaku's, and took the envelope when it was handed to it. The envelope unfolded on Nazoko's screen to show Kohaku's message.

_Can you at least put up with us so you don't fail? -Kohaku_

Nazoko shot a stare over at Kohaku. He was mimicking her stare, indicating he was serious. Sighing, Nazoko typed a message that was delivered by her guest D-Vatar to Kohaku's.

_Fine, but if my grade turns out bad, you'll pay for it. –Nazoko_

Feeling eyes on her again, Nazoko glanced and saw Kohaku had his crap-eating grin back on his face, making her look away. 'I get the feeling that this was a mistake… At least I don't have to sit next to him.' On the screen, her guest D-Vatar high-fived Kohaku's, signifying it joining the team.

Seeing everyone grouped up, Mr. Konazuyo nodded. "All right. The lesson for today is a Treasure Hunt." The main server suddenly morphed into a huge yet reduced-scale model of the planet Earth, with various areas of the planet marked by various landmarks. A list of numerous items emerged in the virtual air. "This is a list of treasures that can be located on the map. To find them, you'll have to use knowledge related to the treasures themselves, which you should have in your study guides from last week. Each area on the map has a smaller mini-map, which can be entered with the A Button. A passing grade is given to anyone who gets 7 treasures before class ends, with extra credit given to who finds the treasures first."

**"READY?"** A voice in the server said. The 14 groups of D-Vatars were on a large "START" space in the middle of an ocean. **"GO!"**

The groups scattered out. _"Follow me, I know where to go first."_ Kohaku sent to Yoru and Nazoko before directing his D-Vatar across the map. Yoru's D-Vatar followed closely after him, but Nazoko's guest D-Vatar stayed put before moving elsewhere. Kohaku and Yoru's D-Vatars moved to England on the map and entered, going into a mini-map for the area.

_"Why here, Koha-kun?"_ Yoru sent to Kohaku.

"I remember a treasure that was found here in England from before the class started." Kohaku sent back, his D-Vatar moving toward the area of Suffolk. _"In two different time periods, there were two treasure hordes discovered right here… in Ipswich."_ Kohaku's D-Vatar began to examine the area where Ipswich would be. An exclamation point appeared over its head, and it came up with two gold necklace-like trinkets. _"Yatta! The gold torcs from the Ipswich horde!"_ The treasure list emerged, and the torcs flew into it, causing a flash that checked off the torcs from the list.

_"Hey, what the?"_ Yoru sent. The list already had two treasures checked off: A diamond-filled cigarbox from Skeleton Canyon, and an armor piece with gold within it from Montezuma's Treasure, both from the United States.

Kohaku's D-Vatar gave a half-frown. _"Nazo-chan."_ Kohaku sent, both D-Vatars exiting the mini-map to get back to the main map. _"OK, where'd she go?"_ Kohaku accessed World View, letting him slide the map at his leisure. He located Nazoko's guest D-Vatar in South Korea. _"She's working fast, but not with us. Let's go!"_ The two partners ran across Europe and Asia and entered South Korea's mini-map. Sure enough, Nazoko's guest D-Vatar was rifling through a patch of South Korea, coming up with a stone Buddha statue from the Unju Temple. By this time, she had already unearthed two other treasures from South Korea, putting the whole team at six. _"Hey, what are you doing?"_ Kohaku sent to Nazoko.

_"Hunting the treasures. That was the goal."_ Nazoko sent back.

_"We're supposed to be working together! Did you forget that?"_ Kohaku sent, his D-Vatar looking mildly annoyed.

_"I agreed to put up with you. I didn't say I would work with you."_ Nazoko sent. _"As I told the teacher, I do not socialize under ANY circumstances. I targeted areas with many treasures on my own and found them without stopping, and I've got five treasures in the time it took you two to find one. I'll find the final treasure on my own. Just sit back and be glad that you're getting the extra credit because of me."_ The guest D-Vatar left the mini-map. Behind it on the main map, and unnoticed as it ran off, was the teacher's D-Vatar. It didn't look too happy.

*Meanwhile*

Nazoko led the guest D-Vatar to the Czech Republic and dug up a bag of gold with a swastika on it: The war booty of Emil Klein buried near Štěchovice. The treasure flew into the list, checking it off. A large checkmark appeared over the list, showing the successful location of seven treasures. _'Excellent.'_ An envelope then appeared in the guest D-Vatar's hand, which it showed to Nazoko.

_Please see me in this room after school. –Mr. Konazuyo_

Nazoko raised an eyebrow at this. _'What could he possibly want now…?'_

*After School*

Mr. Konazuyo waited patiently in his chair in the classroom when Nazoko came through the door. "What is it that you wanted wi-" She stopped when she saw Kohaku and Yoru in the room. She gave her usual cold stare. "…What are they doing here?"

"Ikari, I noticed your isolated methods during the treasure hunt, even though I clearly said that it was a group assignment." Mr. Konazuyo told her.

Nazoko was silent for a moment. "…What does it matter? I pulled most of the weight for the group, anyways."

"No, you didn't! You left us behind!" Yoru griped. "The purpose of a 'group assignment' is for us to work together!"

"Mezameru-kun is right, Ikari." Mr. Konazuyo said. "I'm beginning to grow concerned of your well-being because of this." Nazoko's hand began to clench without them noticing. "Perhaps you should see the guidance counselor about all of this."

"Enough!" Nazoko snapped, slamming her fist onto the opposite end of the table. She glared at them. "Get this through all of your heads. I have no concern for the concepts of teamwork, socialization, friendship. I don't need it, and I don't want it. I've done perfectly fine on my own for all my years of home-schooling, and I'm not going to be suddenly thrust into a world where I will be pressured to work with such insects."

"You can't go through life alone, Nazoko." Yoru told her. "Take it from me. If I had grown up like you, I'd be nothing but a wreck of a person. We all need companionship, Nazo-chan. It's freaking human nature!"

"…Then you can consider me inhuman." Nazoko said simply. "I will refuse any form of association with other people. How can I drill that into your heads?"

"Easy: You can't." Kohaku retorted with a smirk. "You guys don't get it yet? She's only acting this way so we DO try to make her open up to us! I've seen this all the time in mangas."

Nazoko growled. "You think this is some kind of a game, Yudin…?!"

"Yes I do." Kohaku said simply, making Nazoko's eyes widen. "You want me to be your friend. You just don't want to accept it."

"You want me to prove how much I don't care about you, Yudin?" Nazoko asked simply.

"If you can, which I doubt you can." Kohaku said with his smirk.

"Very well. I'll crush you in a Duel." Nazoko pulled out her D-Controller and pointed at Mr. Konazuyo and Yoru. "You two as well. This will be three against one, and I'll crush you all."

"What will that prove?" Mr. Konazuyo asked.

"That's I'm plenty strong without help, even against multiple opponents." Nazoko replied. "Go outside the school. You'll see my power."

"Heh. Challenge accepted… Nazo-chan!" Kohaku said confidently. Nazoko gave a slight growl at the use of "Nazo-chan" again.

"Wait, where do I fit in with this?" Yoru spoke up.

"Anyone who questions how I live my life is on the receiving end of my anger." Nazoko explained, turning around. "And those who receive my anger will be crushed by me." She walked to the entrance and left the room without another word.

Each of the males had a different facial expression: Yoru was unnerved, Mr. Konazuyo was concerned, but Kohaku kept his smirk on his face. "Koha-kun… your confidence scares me sometimes." Yoru said.

*Later* *Outside The School*

Kohaku, Mr. Konazuyo, and Yoru headed outside the school, finding Nazoko already there. "Took you long enough." The girl said.

"Hey, don't rush us. You're dealing with a team here." Kohaku said simply, still smirking.

"Working with others slows you down. Those who work alone are the strongest of all." Nazoko replied. However, Kohaku burst out laughing, making Nazoko glare. "What is so funny?!"

"You're still selling this? Get over it, Nazo-chan!" Kohaku laughed. "Friendship has been a focal point of this whole franchise!"

"…Everything can change. Enough talk." Nazoko whipped out her D-Controller. "The three of you will share 4000 Life Points against 4000 of my own, and every odd-numbered turn will go to me."

"Your funeral, Nazo-chan!" Kohaku chirped, taking a position on the far left (Nazoko's view).

"I hope he knows what he's doing." Yoru said, moving to the opposite side.

"Ikari could use this type of lesson." Mr. Konazuyo said, moving to the center.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't start yet!" Dizzy was heard shouting. He, Doc, Cleo, and Plata rushed to where the action was. "I ain't missin' this!" Dizzy whipped out his video camera and began filming.

"I don't Duel with Game Mode on. It's yet another way for people to connect." Nazoko said simply.

"You're no fun, Nazo-chan." Kohaku said with a fake pout, but he quickly perked back up. "Eh, who cares? It is ON!"

"D-Controller, switch on!" All four players had their D-Controllers clack onto their wrists, Mr. Konazuyo's being brown. "D-Gazer, set!" All four D-Gazers were placed on their faces, Nazoko's being a basic gray with a blue lens and Mr. Konazuyo's being white with a brown lens.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Everyone's D-Gazers flashed, including some who stuck around to watch. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

**Kohaku's Team LP:4000**

**Nazoko LP:4000**

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Nazoko drew her card for the first move. "Kaado san mai settei." Three facedowns went down, but an odd indicator appeared over two of them: The symbol of a black capital "S" with eight legs on the bottom curve, two pincers on the middle, and a scorpion stinger coming off the edge of the top.

"Eh?" Kohaku wondered. "What's that?"

"That indicator goes with a certain series of Trap Cards that I use. They enable the use of my monster's effects even while face-down." Nazoko explained, picking a card. "For example, I can Normal Summon this card with no Tributes because of it! Ideyo! Shinkurosasori (Neo Dark Scorpion)… Skrub the Blade!" All of a sudden, a section of the ground was outlined in white, and it popped open like a hatch. A figure jumped out of the open hatch, landed on top of the opened slab and closed it shut with one maneuver, then got to their feet. The figure was a young man dressed in a skin-tight red catsuit that covered him from head to toe (aside from his hands and head), gray sleeveless torso armor that went over his shoulders and down to his waist with six gold button-like studs on the front, a red belt with the same "S" symbol around his waist, gray pelvis armor that would've been connected to the torso armor if not for the belt, gray boots that were leather instead of armor, and gray gauntlets. This monster, however, also wore a lighter gray helmet with a small spike jutting out the front of the top, having a built-in dark visor over his eyes, as well as a blue neckerchief. The visor gleamed as Skrub smirked, reaching to a sheath at his left hip and drawing out a long, thin katana, pointing it at his opponents.

**Neo Dark Scorpion – Skrub the Blade: Lv.5 DARK Warrior ATK:2000/DEF:0**

"Turn end." Nazoko finished.

"Boku no turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew his card. "Pixel HERO – Red Hammer, Shoukan!" His signature red-garbed hammer wielder emerged.

**Pixel HERO – Red Hammer: Lv.4 FIRE Warrior/Base ATK:1600/DEF:1400**

"Red Hammer no kouka hatsudo! During the Damage Step, a monster it battles loses 500 Attack Points!" Red Hammer conjured fire in its hands before launching a fireball at Skrub. The fire hit him in the chest, not really damaging him, but he started trying to blow out the fire on his neckerchief.

**Skrub the Blade ATK:1500**

"Red Hammer, attack Skrub the Blade! Flaming Smash!" Red Hammer hefted his hammer and twirled it around, causing the head to burst into flames, then it began rushing straight toward Skrub while swinging wildly.

"Too brash for your own good." Nazoko mused. "Trap Card, **Scorprank – Slope Stairs**, hatsudo!" All of a sudden, the AR field flashed to an elegant mansion, and Red Hammer was rushing up a flight of stairs to get to Skrub. Then, the stairs folded down into a slope, causing Red Hammer to trip, slam, and start sliding back down them.

"Nani?" Kohaku gasped.

"Slope Stairs negates your attack and returns your monster to your hand." Nazoko said. As Red Hammer slid, he turned fully red and shot back to Kohaku's hand, reforming as its card. Right then, laughter was heard. Kohaku looked and saw Skrub laughing like a maniac. The AR field flashed back to normal. "And since I controlled a Dark Scorpion monster when Slope Stairs was activated, I can add another Scorprank Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." A card slid out, which she grabbed.

"Jeez, Nazo-chan. I didn't expect someone so serious to use cards that are so… funny!" Kohaku said, starting to laugh a little.

"Comedy can mask danger, Yudin." Nazoko said. "You will not get through my defenses."

"Whatever you say, Nazo-chan." Kohaku said with a smirk. "Magic Card, **Respawn**, hatsudo! This card lets me Special Summon Red Hammer from my hand since it left the field this turn!" His red HERO re-emerged from a purple portal. "Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!"

**Skrub the Blade ATK:2000**

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Nazoko drew her card. "With a facedown Scorprank, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Shinkurosasori – Zaire the Shadow, Shoukan!" Another section of the ground opened like a hatch, and from it, a shadowy mist emerged, which reformed into another human with the same outfit as Skrub, only without the helmet and neckerchief. The face was covered by a mouthguard and the hair was long, black, and thick, making determining its gender impossible. Zaire also had a black cowl with it.

**Neo Dark Scorpion – Zaire the Shadow: Lv.3 DARK Warrior ATK:0/DEF:1600**

"Now I shall release Zaire. Adobansu Shoukan!" Zaire vanished into its shadowy mist. "Ideyo, Shinkurosasori – Zero the Immortal!" From another ground hatch, a third Neo Dark Scorpion slowly emerged. This one, clearly male, gave off a thin white aura that matched its white hair. Then its eyes opened, showing them to be fully white and glowing. This character was not normal.

**Neo Dark Scorpion – Zero the Immortal: Lv.6 DARK Warrior ATK:2200/DEF:1800**

"An advocate of solitude has multiple monsters on her field. She's a walking contradiction." Doc mused.

"Monster Cards are merely avatars for the Duelist." Nazoko said simply. "It does not matter how many I have… I am still on my own in this Duel. Zero the Immortal, attack Red Hammer!" Zero converged the aura around his body into a white energy ball, then he lobbed it toward Red Hammer.

"Red Hammer no kouka hatsudo! Zero's Attack Points are reduced by 500!" Red Hammer shot a fireball that impacted the energy ball. Its power waned, but it was still enough to eclipse Red Hammer and destroy it.

**Zero the Immortal ATK:1700 (for this attack only, goes back to 2200)**

**Kohaku's Team LP:3900**

"Skrub the Blade, follow up with a direct attack! Scorpion Slash!" With a gleam of his sword, Skrub rushed toward Kohaku at high speeds.

However, he was countered by Mr. Konazuyo. "Bronze Mirror Relic no kouka hatsudo! If a direct attack is ever declared, I can negate the attack and Special Summon it from my hand!" The ground in front of him broke open, revealing an odd hexagonal piece of metal colored a blue-green, with a reflective surface that had the image of a tree on it. As soon as it emerged, the mirror face let out a flash that blinded Skrub. Unable to see where he was going, he ended up going past Kohaku and stumbling to the ground. Picking himself up, Skrub shook his head and growled before going back to Nazoko's field.

**Bronze Mirror Relic: Lv.3 LIGHT Rock/Base ATK:500/DEF:500**

"Arigatou, sensei!" Kohaku called, getting a thumbs-up from his teacher.

Nazoko's eye twitched once. "Your defense of him sickens me… Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end." Her last card went facedown, an indicator showing it was a Scorprank appearing over it.

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Mr. Konazuyo drew his card. "Magic Card, **Unfair Barter**, hatsudo! This card allows me to send my whole hand to the Graveyard, then draw 1 card for each monster I sent." His hand went to the Graveyard, and he ended up drawing 4 cards. "Time to unearth an ancient secret!" Bronze Mirror Relic began to spin around, and from three purple portals, three objects emerged: Three bronze egg-shaped artifacts with two rows of odd symbols on each. "Watashi wa **Strange Egg Relic** san tai de, Reberu San no Bronze Mirror Relic de Shinajaizu!" Bronze Mirror's spinning was mimicked by the three Strange Eggs, all four picking up speed to blinding levels. Their energy shot from them to above Bronze Mirror, forming a mostly orange energy ball with some yellow swirls within. The four Relics then morphed into Soul Towers that fired yellow lightning at the energy ball. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" A loud yet low ring resonated as four tethers of some sort shot out from the energy ball, anchoring themselves into the ground. The energy itself began to morph into a large top-cut conical shape, shedding the energy glow to reveal a bronze and blue-green prayer bell of sorts, odd markings on the front reminiscent of a culture long forgotten, a two-layered arch on top. "Yomigaere! (Revive!) Live Relic…" Then, the top layer of the arch detached its sides from the bottom layer, and the arch's sides extended it length to resemble long arms of sorts. "Bronze Prayer Bell!" The two new "arms" clapped together with a loud, low ring.

**Live Relic – Bronze Prayer Bell: Quality 3 LIGHT Rock/Composition ATK:1300/DEF:2800 4 Active Soul Towers**

"You combined mere trinkets into a giant bell. While I admit your monster is impressive in construction, it doesn't stand a chance against me." Nazoko said simply.

"Wanna bet, Nazo-chan?" Kohaku piped up, getting her attention. "Watch this! Trap Card, **Base Auto-Balance**, hatsudo!" His facedown flipped up. "Since there's a Composition Monster on the field, I can take a monster from my hand with a Level equal to or less than that Composition's Quality, then Special Summon it to that monster's opponent's field!"

"You're giving her your monster, Koha-kun? Are you nuts?" Plata asked.

"Nope! The monster I'm giving you, Nazo-chan…" Kohaku picked his card. "…is **Pixel HERO – Copy Eater**! 0 Attack Points!" His monster emerged as a small pink creature that didn't look human at all, being made of solid metal and having a huge mouth with some sharp teeth. Regardless, it wore a cape around it with the pixilated "P" as the clip.

"Ace move, Koha-kun!" Yoru said. Copy Eater hopped twice before leaping toward Nazoko's field.

However, Nazoko let out a loud growl. "I will repel all who get near me! Continuous Trap, activate!" Her facedown flipped up and glowed. Right then, Nazoko's right eye glowed its eerie cyan, and the back of her right hand gained an odd image: A cyan-colored disc with an edge made up of odd runes. Whipping her arm up, Nazoko moved to swipe her hand in front of her. "Reject… BARRIER!" With a swipe of her arm, the disc-like image on her hand materialized as a thin laser disc in front of her, getting shocked gasps from her opponents. Copy Eater freaked before it slammed headfirst into the ba rrier, the disc not budging, before a force propelled the pink team pet back to Kohaku's field, exploding upon its landing.

"N… Nanda…?" Yoru breathed.

Nazoko had a hard stare trained on them. "This is the sigil of my unreachable heart: **Reject Barrier**. So long as it remains active, any monsters you own cannot be on my field by any means." Right then, a smaller copy of the Reject Barrier appeared on Skrub and Zero's chests.

"Kuso… So this is the card I've heard so much about!" Kohaku groaned. "You think that disc is enough to keep you safe?"

"It's not meant to keep me safe. It's meant to keep you AWAY." Nazoko said.

"Jeez, I don't know about you, folks, but I think we've found the top grade bitch at this school." Dizzy said, acting like he was talking to viewers of the video.

"Impressive tactic, Ikari. Credit where credit is due." Mr. Konazuyo said. "Kaado ni mai settei. Turn end!" Two facedowns emerged.

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Nazoko drew her card, but Kohaku sensed a change in her voice: There was more malice in it. "Continuous Trap, **Scorprank – Globe Turret**, hatsudo!" Her facedown flipped up, revealing what looked like a basic globe set within a stand that had three legs. "Upon activation of this card, Globe Turret is Special Summoned as a monster!"

**Scorprank – Globe Turret: Lv.4 DARK Machine ATK:1500/DEF:1000**

"Skrub the Blade, attack Yudin directly! Scorpion Slash!" Skrub darted forward, ready to slice with his sword.

"**Slumber Puppy** no kouka hatsudo!" Yoru called out, removing a card from his hand. All of a sudden, a mass of multicolored bubbles billowed out around Kohaku, the image of a sleeping baby dog within them.

"Nani?" Nazoko gasped. Skrub charged headfirst into the bubbles, but as he tried to slice through them, his sword broke off, causing him to retreat to Nazoko's field with a scowl.

"By banishing Slumber Puppy from my hand, I can render the Battle Damage from any direct attack as zero." Yoru explained.

Nazoko growled. "Count yourself lucky you haven't moved yet… but now you'll take my anger, sensei. Globe Turret, attack Bronze Prayer Bell!" The top half of the globe suddenly flipped open, revealing a wooden gun that launched a trio of darts toward the bell.

"Bronze Prayer Bell no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating a Soul Tower, Prayer Bell is switched into Defense Mode for this battle!" One of the bell's towers shut off, causing its arms to slowly creak toward its center before snapping into a crossed fashion, the impact causing it to ring. The darts lodged into the arms, causing the bell to rattle. Then, its arms suddenly snapped back to their opened position, sending the darts right back to Nazoko.

"Grragh! Kuso!" Nazoko growled as the darts sailed past her.

**Nazoko LP:2500**

"After a battle where it used its effect, Bronze Prayer Bell is forced back into Attack Mode." Mr. Konaxuyo explained, his monster already back in Attack Mode.

"You'll pay for that... All of you! Zero the Immortal! Attack Yudin directly again!" Zero conjured another white energy ball through his aura and flung it toward Kohaku.

"**Pixel HERO – Brave Blade** no kouka hatsudo! If I'm ever attacked directly with a monster that has 1600 or more Attack Points, I can Special Summon him from my Deck and have him take the attack!" His green-clad swordsman emerged from its teleportation portal, landing right in the flight path of the energy ball. He looked up with zero fear in his eyes and threw up his shield, keeping the energy ball at bay, but it eventually exploded, taking Brave Blade with him. "Sorry about that, pal, but you always come through for me."

"Every single one of your actions fills me with rage…" Nazoko growled, her barrier glowing. "I can't understand why you place such value on helping each other… not do I WANT to understand it!"

"It's gonna around to get you eventually, Nazo-chan!" Kohaku told her, somehow still smiling. "You know why I'm strong? I've got support! It's like this song I heard: 'Together we are stronger that anyone else could be on their own!'"

"Tell her, Koha-kun!" Cleo shouted.

"…I will show you how wrong you are…" Nazoko said menacingly. "Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end." This one was a Scorprank as well.

"Boku no turn. Draw!" Yoru drew his card. "Koha-kun, can I borrow your monsters?"

Kohaku grinned. "Be my guest, pal!"

"Are you deliberately trying to piss me off now?" Nazoko asked.

"Maybe." Yoru said. "**Slumber Elf**, Shoukan!" From a bunch of multi-colored bubbles, a small female elf monster emerged, sleeping while sitting and leaning forward. She was wearing a blue nightcap and nightgown, some blonde hair visible under the hat.

**Slumber Elf: Lv.2 EARTH Fairy/Base ATK:0/DEF:1200**

"May the dreams of our monsters be linked!" Yoru said. From purple portals, Kohaku's monsters (Red Hammer, Copy Eater, Brave Blade) emerged, but they were sleeping just the elf was. "Boku wa Red Hammer, Copy Eater, Brave Blade to, Reberu Ni no Slumber Elf de Shinajaizu!" Bubbles formed from their heads matching their Attributes (Copy Eater's were orange), collecting above Slumber Elf to form an energy ball collected orange with some red swirls. All four monsters changed into Soul Towers that fired purple lightning at the orb to energize it. "Korera yon tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" The energy ball then turned rainbow-colored and exploded into a massive form of clouds, an image of what looked like an airy landscape within the clouds. "All that can be dreamt can be brought into reality…" A figure dashed across the landscape multiple times, a squeaky roar being heard. "But sometimes, dreams bring themselves to us!" Then, the figure emerged in full view of the landscape: A thin serpentine dragon with a rainbow tye-dye color scheme, having two arms and legs with claws, the tail of the dragon having solid-color clouds on them in the shape of some sort of tree. Oddly, instead of scales, the dragon's body was fully smooth. "Arawareyo, Yumeryū (Dream Dragon)… Slumberlong!" The head, oddly enough, didn't appear threatening: It had large silver-colored eyes, six thick iridescent whiskers, and what appeared to be a mane of the odd clouds. It let out a squeaky roar as it gazed out from the dreamscape.

**Dream Dragon – Slumberlong: Quality 2 DARK Dragon/Composition ATK:0/DEF:0 4 Active Soul Towers**

"For threats I can't stall against, Slumberlong is there to aid me." Yoru said. "Magic Card, **Heavy Eyes**, hatsudo! This card causes one monster on the field to be switched into Defense Mode, unable to switch until that player's End Phase." Rainbow bubbles poured out from the card.

"Your Magic Card will not touch me. Reject Barrier prevents any Spell Cards from affecting me or my monsters." Nazoko said, the cyan barrier forming in front of her and her monsters.

"I wasn't planning on affecting you. The monster I'm switching is Konazuyo-sensei's Live Relic – Bronze Prayer Bell!" The rainbow bubbles burst in the bell's "face", causing it to creak lowly before its arms snapped back in front of it, causing a low ring. However, rainbow bubbles and clouds began to rise up from it.

"Mezameru-kun, is this part of your plan?" Mr. Konazuyo asked.

"Hai. Slumberlong no kouka hatsudo! By deactivating a Soul Tower, Slumberlong can absorb the dreams of an opponent or teammate's monster, taking its Defense Points and using them as Attack Points until the End Phase!" One of the Soul Towers shut off, and Slumberlong let out another roar, drawing the clouds and bubbles from it into its own mass from the front, effectively "eating" the clouds. Its eyes flashing, Slumberlong stuck its face forward and actually pushed it out of the dreamscape into the real world.

**Bronze Prayer Bell DEF:0**

**Slumberlong ATK:2800 3 Active Soul Towers**

"Arigatou, Konazuyo-sensei! Now, Nazoko, your monsters shall sleep tight, as Slumberlong can attack all of them in exchange for dealing no Battle Damage!" With a squeaky screech, Slumberlong expelled a jetstream of the rainbow clouds from its mouth.

"…Relying on others has earned you defeat!" Nazoko said. "Trap Card, **Scorprank – Piano Bomb**, hatsudo!" The field suddenly morphed into the same area as when Slope Stairs was activated, and Zero the Immortal was in front of a piano.

"Nani?" Yoru gasped.

"By destroying a Dark Scorpion monster I control, your monster is destroyed as well!" Zero grinned evilly, playing a short and quick piece on the piano as the cloud stream shot toward him. Then, when he struck a certain note, the piano immediately exploded violently, taking Zero with it. The explosions caused the cloud stream to erupt in explosions as well, going right back to Slumberlong and causing its dreamscape to explode. Slumberlong squeakily roared in pain as the image of it faded from the clouds, then the whole cloudscape exploded violently.

"Slumberlong!" Yoru cried. Skrub the Blade was laughing his head off again.

"Oh, man, this girl is tough!" Dizzy said.

"Your monster is destroyed, and since I still have a Dark Scorpion on the field, I can add another Scorprank Trap Card to my hand." Nazoko said simply, grabbing another card that slid out from her Deck. "You seriously think your combined efforts will do more than you have already? It was a fluke. I grew strong on my own, and I intend to prove that strength to you all." She glared at Kohaku. "Especially you, Yudin."

"Gee, I didn't know I was your favorite." Kohaku retorted, unfazed by Nazoko's malice. He glanced over at Yoru. "Got anything else under your belt, Yoru-kun?"

"Only these. Kaado ni mai settei. Turn end!" Yoru set his cards.

**Bronze Prayer Bell DEF:2800**

"Zero the Immortal no kouka hatsudo!" Zero's white aura began to reform itself on the field, taking his form as a completely white shade. "If Zero is ever sent to the Graveyard by a Trap Card… he returns to the field during the End Phase!" The white shade faded to reveal Zero himself.

"Hence the name 'Immortal'." Kohaku commented.

"Watashi no turn… Draw!" Nazoko drew her card. "Playtime's over. Trap Card, **Scorprank – Secret Elevator**, hatsudo!" The AR field morphed into the odd mansion again, and the rug suddenly lifted off the ground, with an elevator of sorts underneath it. "This card lets me Special Summon a Dark Scorpion monster from my Graveyard. Yomigaere, Shinkurosasori – Zaire the Shadow!" The elevator opened up to reveal the ambiguous-gendered Neo Dark Scorpion, who leapt from the elevator onto Nazoko's field, its cowl flowing as the AR field returned to normal.

**Neo Dark Scorpion – Zaire the Shadow: Lv.3 DARK Warrior ATK:0/DEF:1600**

"Doesn't this girl use any Magic Cards?" Dizzy wondered.

"I will never touch those cards." Nazoko said before Dizzy could even finish his sentence. "Magic Cards are akin to outside help. Trap Cards are products of the user's own ingenuity. Therefore, my Deck is one that uses Trap Cards to their full potential… to prove that all I need is my own brainpower." She picked the card she drew. "Behold the monster that will defeat you!" Another section of the ground opened up, and from it, another Neo Dark Scorpion emerged, this one being a 20s-year-old man with light purple hair down to his shoulder blades. However, this one really stood out: He had a bright yellow cape not unlike Zaire's cowl, gold gauntlets, a more ornate (and larger) "S" logo belt buckle, and he held what looked like a silver spear of sorts. "Shinkurosasori… Kaiser Trip!" The man opened his eyes, showing a bright green, and twirled his spear before pointing it skyward with a yell.

**Neo Dark Scorpion – Kaiser Trip: Lv.4 DARK Warrior/Base ATK:1800/DEF:1500**

"That guy must be the leader of the Neo Dark Scorpions." Doc mused. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"It's over. Skrub the Blade, attack Mezameru directly!" Skrub dashed forward with intent to strike.

"Trap Card, Amber Pitfall, hatsudo!" Mr. Konazuyo's facedown flipped up. "Since you declared an attack, the attack is negated and your monster is forced into permanent Defense Mode!" A wave of amber liquid spelled out of the card. Skrub looked back and had his eyes widen as he was struck by the liquid, knocked to the ground and forced in Defense Mode.

"You wasted your card. Zero, move in and attack!" Grinning, Zero threw his hands up and formed his energy ball attack.

"Hang on, Yoru-kun! Trap Card, **Fear Magic**, hatsudo! This card keeps one of your monsters from attacking for two turns!" Kohaku cried, his facedown flipping up to form an odd magic scepter. The scepter's jewel glowed dark blue before it fired a blast of magic in the shape of a scary face.

"Fool. Kaiser Trip no kouka hatsudo! You targeted my Dark Scorpion monster with a Trap Card, so Kaiser Trip can force the target to become a different one!" Nazoko interjected. Kaiser Trip pointed his spear forward with a yell, and Zaire leapt forward in the path of the magic. The face struck Zaire and knocked it back, covering its face with the magic. The magic faded, revealing Zaire scared out of its wits. Meanwhile, Zero fired off the white energy ball, which exploded upon being near Yoru. All three of the team groaned.

**Kohaku's Team LP:1700**

"You can't aid each other now… Whatever cards you have left will be worthless!" Nazoko declared. "Kaiser Trip! Finish them off!" Trip rose his spear to the sky, causing it to glow, before he shot straight up and chucked the spear at Kohaku, the spear taking on a powerful silver aura.

Kohaku could only muster two words. "Oh, man…" The spear landed in front of him and gave off a powerful explosion that threw him back. "Gwaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Koha-kun!/Yudin-kun!" Yoru and Mr. Konazuyo cried as Kohaku hit the ground.

**Nazoko LP:1800**

**Kohaku's Team LP:0 – LOSER**

Nazoko's face appeared with the word "WIN" as the buzzer sounded, the Augmented Reality starting to vanish. Nazoko's monsters (sans her Globe Turret) let out wild laughter as they vanished. "Oh, man! They lost!" Dizzy griped.

"Nazoko is very powerful…" Doc mused.

Kohaku groaned as he sat up, shaking his head as Nazoko approached him. "Do you understand it now, Yudin no baka?" She said, getting his attention. "On my own, I defeated all three of you. Even together, you failed to defeat me." She pointed a finger at him. "This is why I warn you to stay away. Anyone who dares try to enter my life will face my wra-"

She was cut off when Kohaku suddenly grabbed her hand and shook it. "Hahahahahaha! Awesome Duel, Nazo-chan!" He laughed with a closed-eye grin.

"Unhand me!" She yelled, jerking her hand away. "Grrr… I should've known better than to realize you would get the message…"

"Oh no, I got the message, Nazo-chan. You're a loner." Kohaku said as he got up, making her raise an eyebrow. "It just won't stop me from trying to change that. Everyone can make a wall around them, but every wall's got that one little crack in it."

"Nice analogy. But it doesn't apply to mine." Nazoko held up Reject Barrier. "Reject Barrier is the wall around my heart: An unbreakable barrier with no openings. It's been that way for years." She turned around. "Oh, and one more thing." She whirled back around and slugged Kohaku in the arm.

"OW! What did you do that for?!" Kohaku griped, holding his arm.

"That was for touching me." Nazoko said while turning around. "I am the Unreachable Heart, Kohaku Yudin. That applies to even you. The world is merely an unexpected, yet unavoidable nuisance to me… and I will avoid as much of it as possible. Do not talk to me… ever again."

"Mission failed right there." Kohaku said, chuckling.

Nazoko growled. "I despise people like you who ignore my warnings…" She glanced back at him with anger. "Consider yourself designated as my worst enemy." She walked off without another word.

"Gomen-nasai, Yudin-kun. She had us locked down." Mr. Konazuyo said.

"Don't worry about it, sensei. You either, Yoru-kun. Nazo-chan's just a good Duelist." Kohaku said. He looked at her retreating form with a smirk. _'You can throw up as many walls as you want, Nazo-chan… but I'll break them down eventually. I'll become your friend and show you that life with others is better than life alone… Count on it!'_

* * *

**_*7 second music*_**

**_I will not lie down, roll over  
*3 second music*  
I will not just let it by  
*3 second music*_**

**_I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh  
You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero_**

**_I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now  
With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down  
Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow  
There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now_**

**_10…  
9…  
8…  
7…  
6…  
5…  
4…  
3…  
2…  
1…  
0…_**

* * *

*Preview*

Cleo: EEK! My skirt! What the hell?!

Kohaku: What's up with the wind today? I've had like five papers blown in my face!

Dizzy: I'm a fan of wind, but this is nuts!

Doc: Something isn't right here…

?: Nice wind, man… Shows a lotta sights, heh heh... Check it out…

Doc: What the?! How'd I get drawn into this?!

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Sykonetyk Strike! Against Aero's Wind!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Neo Dark Scorpion - Skrub the Blade  
Level 5 DARK Warrior  
ATK:2000/DEF:0  
If you control a face-down "Scorprank" Trap Card: You can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. Once per turn: You can destroy 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card you control OR discard 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your hand: This card can attack directly this turn, but all Battle Damage becomes equal to half this card's original ATK.

Neo Dark Scorpion - Zaire the Shadow  
Level 3 DARK Warrior  
ATK:0/DEF:1600  
If you control a face-down "Scorprank" Trap Card: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is selected as an attack target: You can activate 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your hand.

Neo Dark Scorpion - Zero the Immortal  
Level 6 DARK Warrior  
ATK:2200/DEF:1800  
If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a Trap Card: Special Summon this card during the End Phase.

Bronze Mirror Relic  
Level 3 LIGHT Rock/Base  
ATK:500/DEF:500  
If either player declares a direct attack: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) and negate that attack.

Strange Egg Relic  
Level 1 EARTH Rock  
ATK:300/DEF:300  
If this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard: You can Special Summon up to 2 "Strange Egg Relic" from your Deck in face-up Defense Position.

Pixel HERO - Copy Eater  
Level 1 EARTH Beast  
ATK:0/DEF:0  
Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls and equip it to this card. This card gains the equipped monster's ATK, DEF, and effects. If this card is attacked while it is equipped with a monster: Neither monster is destroyed, and the equipped monster is Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field in Attack Position.

Slumber Puppy  
Level 2 EARTH Beast  
ATK:0/DEF:800  
This card cannot attack. If a direct attack is declared: You can banish this card from your hand: The Battle Damage from that battle becomes 0.

Slumber Elf  
Level 2 EARTH Fairy/Base  
ATK:0/DEF:1200  
If you control no cards: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Neo Dark Scorpion - Kaiser Trip  
Level 4 DARK Warrior/Base  
ATK:1800/DEF:1500  
Once per turn: You can increase or decrease this card's Level by up to the number of face-down "Scorprank" Trap Cards you control. If a "Dark Scorpion" monster you control is targeted for the effect of a Trap Card: You can change that target to another "Dark Scorpion" monster you control.

Live Relic - Bronze Prayer Bell  
Quality 3 LIGHT Rock/Composition  
ATK:1300/DEF:2800  
1 Level 3 "Relic" Base + 3 Rock-Type monsters in your Graveyard  
While this card has active Composition Materials: Your opponent cannot target this card for the effect of a card that was originally Set. When this card is attacked: You can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials: Switch this card to Defense Position before applying damage calculation. At the end of the Damage Step: Switch this card to Attack Position.

Dream Dragon - Slumberlong  
Quality 2 DARK Dragon/Composition  
ATK:0/DEF:0  
1 Level 2 Base + 3 monsters in your Graveyard  
This card cannot attack your opponent directly. Once per turn, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials to target 1 Defense Position Monster your opponent controls: Reduce its DEF to 0 and increase this card's ATK by the same amount until the End Phase. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each, but if it does, all Battle Damage from battles involving this attacking monster becomes 0.

Respawn  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 "Pixel HERO" monster in your hand, Deck, Graveyard, or Banished Zone that left the field this turn: Special Summon it.

Unfair Barter  
Normal Spell Card  
Send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard. For each Monster Card sent to the Graveyard by this effect: Draw 1 card.

Heavy Eyes  
Normal Spell Card  
Target 1 monster on the field: Switch it to Defense Position. That monster's battle position cannot be changed until its controller's next End Phase.

Scorprank - Slope Stairs  
Normal Trap Card  
When an opponent's monster attacks: Negate that attack and send the attacking monster to your opponent's hand. If you control a "Dark Scorpion" monster when this card is activated: Add 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. Only 1 "**Scorprank - Slope Stairs**" can be activated per turn.

Base Auto-Balance  
Normal Trap Card  
Target 1 Composition Monster on the field: Special Summon 1 monster from your hand with a Level equal to the target's Quality to the target's opponent's side of the field.

Reject Barrier  
Continuous Trap Card  
Monsters owned by your opponent cannot be Summoned on your field or have their control changed to yours. You and monsters you control are unaffected by Spell Cards.

Scoprank - Globe Turret  
Continuous Trap Card  
Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster (DARK/Machine/Level 4/ATK:1500/DEF:1000). (This card is also still a Trap Card.) If you control a "Dark Scorpion" monster when this card is destroyed: Add 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. Only 1 "**Scorprank - Globe Turret**" can be activated per turn.

Scorprank - Piano Bomb  
Normal Trap Card  
Target 1 monster you control and 1 monster your opponent controls: Destroy them. If you control a "Dark Scorpion" monster when this card is activated: Add 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. Only 1 "**Scorprank - Piano Bomb**" can be activated per turn.

Scorprank - Secret Elevator  
Normal Trap Card  
Target 1 "Dark Scorpion" monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon it. If this face-down card is destroyed while you control a "Dark Scorpion" monster: Add 1 "Scorprank" Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. Only 1 "**Scorprank - Secret Elevator**" can be activated per turn.

Fear Magic  
Normal Trap Card  
Target 1 monster your opponent controls: It cannot attack for 2 turns.

* * *

**Vile: Nazoko Ikari, the Unreachable Heart, has made her debut. Kohaku seems determined to make her his friend, but only time will tell. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! I'll try (that's the keyword, folks) to get Chapter 8 out quickly, so please don't go too far! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


	8. Level 008

**Vile: And Vile is back, with a new chapter and some good news: Until the 21st (AKA two Wednesdays from now), I am done with school!**

**Kohaku: Is that what was keeping you stalled this time?**

**Vile: Yep. I had some big stuff to do, but now I'm free for a couple weeks. Hopefully I can get some good stuff done.**

**Kohaku: Well, I'm anxious!**

**Vile: To mark my break, here's Chapter 8 of GSTART! Standard disclaimer here, any bolded cards are mine. Enjoy!**

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 008: Sykonetyk Strike! Against Aero's Wind!

Within Kohaku's house, he and his friends did what they normally did on a Sunday right before school the next day: Played video games like madmen. "Boom! Punch combo!" Kohaku jeered to Dizzy, Plata, and Sokudo as they played a 4-player fighting game. Kohaku was using a red-garbed humanoid to attack the other players' characters: A big brown gorilla, a green dinosaur of sorts, and a spiky blue creature.

"Oh man, this reeks!" Dizzy griped, furiously hammering the buttons. His character was apparently heavy, making movement difficult. "Come on, monkey boy, jump higher!"

"Here I come!" Plata said, making the dinosaur jump above the monkey and nail it with a downward attack that sent it off the screen with an explosion. Dizzy's last life was used with this.

"Come on, Sokudo-nii-chan!" Kinoko chirped. Sokudo moved his character to try and intercept Plata's character.

"Gotcha, kid!" Kohaku said, his character jumping in front of Sokudo's path and grabbing his character. With a flick of his Control Stick, Kohaku's character spun around and flung Sokudo's character out of the ring, knocking into Plata's character and causing them to be KO'd with explosions, taking out their last lives. "Whoo! Victory again!" Kohaku cheered.

"That's the fourth time! How did you get so good, Kohaku-nii?" Sokudo griped, fake pouting.

He ruffled Sokudo's spiky blue hair while laughing. "It's called experience, little guy!"

"One more round, Koha-kun, one on one! No items in this round!" Dizzy challenged.

Kohaku grinned. "If you say so, Dizzy-kun!"

*Ten Minutes Later*

Dizzy had a "derp face" as he saw the screen: Kohaku had beaten him yet again, this time with no items. "Bit off a little more than you can chew, Dizzy?" Doc mused in deadpan, but with a smirk.

"Ah, I suck at this game, anyway!" Dizzy said, slamming his controller on the couch and crossing his arms in a fake pout.

Kohaku laughed at him, but then he felt the familiar energy of the Silver Game Card, going into a stare. "Something doesn't feel right." Switching the game console's mode to work with Game Cards, he opened the slot, pulled out and inserted the Silver Card, and activated the game, his D-Vatar appearing on-screen. The World Map popped up, immediately going to World 1, but when the D-Vatar jumped into the image to go to the area, it was immediately hit by a major gust of wind, blowing it into a backwards somersault until it slammed against a wall. The wind raged throughout the world, uprooting the structures.

The group was stunned. "What the heck? Where'd that wind come from?" Plata wondered.

"Onii-chan… What's happening?" Kinoko asked.

"I don't know, Kinoko." Kohaku breathed. "But this seems wrong. Very wrong."

Out of nowhere, a scream was heard. Kohaku's D-Vatar looked up to see Kukiran being flung through the air, screaming. The D-Vatar held out a hand, making Kukiran slam against it. **"Oof!"** The D-Vatar grabbed hold of Kukiran and edged its way to the side of the wall before quickly dashing behind it, the wall blocking the wind. **"Whew! That was close! Thank you for saving me!"** Kukiran said. **"This wind… It's destroying the area!"** Parts of tents, castles, and carts blew by. **"This is just like the water attack… It might even be worse! You have to help me somehow!"**

Kohaku had a stern look that usually wasn't seen on his face. Bringing up a chat function, he typed a message: _"No worries, Kukiran. I'll find out what's up."_ He tapped "Send", and the message came out of his D-Vatar's mouth as a speech bubble (though it still only squeaked).

Kukiran saw the speech bubble and perked up. **"Oh, thank you so much! I'm so glad you got this card!"**

Kohaku ejected the Game Card. "Do you know what's happening, Koha-kun?" Yoru asked.

"…We've got trouble coming at us soon." Kohaku only said.

*Later That Night*

On the intricate blue Gamepad, an image of a map showing three blue dots and a red dot was being overlaid by what appeared to be gray curly lines. "Impossible… the card has already located his energy?" The Gamepad's holder wondered. "He must have used the card recently. It didn't send him a vision. It appears I must act." Bringing up the wall of symbols, the figure tapped the symbol of a wind gust. A circle of light green light formed on the ground behind him, forming a shadowed male figure. "You appear tired. Find a spot to rest for tonight, then get moving on your objective."

"You got it…" The new figure said before walking off slowly into the night. After a while, he came to a lone bench in front of the darkened Delta High, sitting down on it, but as a gust of wind blew across his face, a question came to his mind.

"Whoa… what was I supposed to do again…?"

* * *

_***8 second intro***_

_**Don't give up the fight! Play on!**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
Fight to reach your goal! It's on!_**

_***rest***_

_**With every step you take you grow**_**_  
Everything you do, big or small paves the road  
Life's just a game that everyone has to play (The shadowed female figure is revealed to be Nazoko, giving her usual glare as she throws up her Reject Barrier; the humanoid monsters are her Neo Dark Scorpions)  
Use what you learn, and you'll seize the day_**

_**Level yourself up, and you can make it through**_**_  
(Background singer: Yeah! Play on)  
There's a great big world, waiting for us!  
All that is left is for us to Start the Gaaaaaame!_**

_**It is ON!**_

* * *

Kohaku and Yoru were riding the monorail to Chi Station to get to school, Yoru sleeping next to Kohaku as he looked intently at the Silver Card. He still remembered the wind that ravaged Medieval Plains, and he had a good feeling where it was coming from. The monorail came to a stop at Chi Station so Kohaku and Yoru (who Kohaku just woke up) could get off, but the moment they did, snoring was heard. Kohaku stopped with a raised eyebrow. "It's not me." Yoru said, Kohaku looking at him to confirm it.

"Then who is it?" Kohaku wondered. Looking around, the two of them saw a snoring person on the bench: A 16-year-old boy with dark green hair in a short ponytail. His outfit was weird… yet also familiar: A one-piece dark green jumpsuit (matching his hair) with light green designs on the sides resembling wind gusts, the gusts extending into his chest, stomach, and back. A pair of familiar silver metal boots was on his feet, only these had green lights instead of blue. He also had the same metal gloves with chains of cybernetics up his arms, but these lacked any devices on them, and the cybernetics stopped at two shoulder pads with green lights on them. These shoulders pads each had two green ribbons on them that hung down to knee-length. He also wore no headband. As Kohaku looked closer, he saw odd slots on the bottom of the toe-end of the boots, as well as a piece of paper attached to a metal belt he was wearing.

"Uh… does he look familiar to you?" Yoru asked.

"Yeah." Kohaku said, walking over to the sleeping boy. He put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook. "Hey buddy, wake up."

The sleeper didn't rouse for a few seconds, but his eyes did open, showing them as gold. "Wha…?" Groggily sitting up, the green-haired boy looked around briefly. "Wiggy… How'd I get here, man…?"

"That's what we'd like to know." Yoru said. "You wouldn't happen to be affiliated with a group called the 'Sykonetyks', would you?"

Kohaku slapped Yoru's mouth shut, making him freak out. "Don't bring that up! He might get mad!" He said.

"Affiliated…" A lazy smile drifted on the green-haired boy's face. "Eh heh heh… You said filly… that's a small horse… heh heh."

Kohaku and Yoru raised an eyebrow. Kohaku held three fingers in front of the boy's face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Blinking, the boy moved his index finger in front of each finger. "…Three. I can count, dude…"

"Okay… he's lucid. Just weird." Kohaku said. "Any idea why you might be here?"

"Uh… I think I got somethin'…" The boy's hand brushed over the paper on his belt, which he opened and unfolded by jerking it.

When he did, however, a powerful yet brief gust of wind blew over the area. "Whoa!" Kohaku and Yoru cried. The wind caused the paper to be blown out of the boy's hand and into Kohaku's face.

"Heh heh heh heh… Nice hit…" The green-haired boy laughed lazily.

Kohaku grabbed the paper out of his face and began reading. _"'Dear Principal Wight, a student from our school, Fubuki Kazehana, has come to observe Delta High South to possibly see if he can transfer there. Be warned: Fubuki does not have the best attention span in the world and is likely to drift. It may be worth noting that wherever he goes, odd bursts of wind occur. Take precaution if this happens to you. Sincerely, Principal Freed, Alpha High Central.'"_

"That principal knows some big words, eh heh." Fubuki breathed. He still had a lazy smile on his face.

Kohaku half-frowned for a moment, but smiled. "Looks like you might be joining us. Come with us, Fubuki-kun. Principal Wight should be able to help you out." Fubuki was scratching his head, but did hear Kohaku (barely), giving him a lazy thumbs-up.

*At Delta High South*

After meeting up with Doc, Plata, and Dizzy, Kohaku and Yoru showed Fubuki to Principal Wight's office. They headed off to class while Fubuki had a seat in a chair, lazily looking around the room with his paper in his hand. The secretary noticed him. "Do you need some help?" She asked.

"Uh, I gotta see… Principal Wight, eh heh." Fubuki said, looking at his paper to get the name again.

"Okay, just a minute." The secretary pressed a call button. "Mr. Wight, there's someone here to see you."

The principal came out of his office in a few seconds, noticing Fubuki with a lazy smile and wave. Mr. Wight waved Fubuki in before going back into his office, Fubuki lumbering in after him. "Please, have a seat, young man." Fubuki plopped down in a chair as Mr. Wight sat down. "So, what do you need?"

"I gotta give you this, man…" Fubuki said, slowly handing over the paper. As Mr. Wight began reading the message, Fubuki began leaning back and forth absent-mindedly. The ribbons coming from his shoulders began to blow around… as if wind was blowing them.

"Hmm, a possible transfer student. You certainly seem promising." Mr. Wight said. "Perhaps I can have someone show you around the school. Or would you rather walk by yourself?"

"Uh… Heh heh, hey, check it out. That cloud looks like a Watapon…" Fubuki breathed, pointing out the window.

"Hmm?" Mr. Wight turned around and began looking. "I don't quite see it… Oh, I see it now!"

Then, out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind blasted throughout the room, knocking Mr. Wight to the ground and blowing Fubuki to the back wall, the objects across the room being scattered, one plague cracking (but not breaking) the window. The secretary rushed in. "What just happened in here?!" She cried.

Fubuki's eyes were moving weirdly. "Whoa… Did anyone else feel that…?" He breathed. He noticed the room begin blown around. "Whoa… Way to party, old man… Heh heh heh heh…" Slowly, Fubuki walked out the office door and out of the principal's office completely, walking down the halls.

Mr. Wight panted heavily. "What… What was that?" He then remembered the letter stating odd gusts of wind tended to happen around Fubuki. "Perhaps precautions are just what we need."

*Meanwhile*

Fubuki walked slowly throughout the school as the bell began to ring for next period. He looked around with his lazy expression, his body in a slouch. "Whoa… this place is sweet…" He breathed. As students filed out of the classrooms, he noticed many of the girls that came out. "Sweet ladies… heh heh…"

Just then, another freak gust of wind blew through the hall, but Fubuki's shoulder ribbons indicated an upward angle. As pure luck would have it, many of the girls in the hall were wearing skirts, so the wind blew up a lot of them. "EEK!" One of the girls, Cleo, shrieked as she pushed down her skirt. Many of the other girls were also complaining.

"Whoa… freak wind…" Fubuki breathed. However, as he gazed among the complaining girls, he gained a lazy smile. "Awesome sights, bro… heh heh heh…" He merely kept moving along the hall without rubbernecking, as if he was just lucky to see this.

However, two certain eyes were watching him from the side. _ 'He's one of them…'_

*Start of Fourth Period*

As Yoru prepared to go into his fourth class, he noticed Fubuki lumbering through the hall. "Oi, Fubuki-kun."

It took two seconds, but the green-haired teen stopped and acknowledged the call. "Hmm…?"

"Come on in here. You can check out one of our classes here." Yoru said with a small smile.

Fubuki paused for a moment, then gave his lazy smile. "All right, heh heh." He slowly walked into the classroom past Yoru. The teacher was confused, but Yoru relayed the information about Fubuki. "Thanks, dude…" Fubuki said as he lumbered to the back.

"This guy sounds stoned." A boy whispered to another, getting an agreement.

"I don't know. He looks pretty cute to me." A girl whispered.

"I think he's creepy." Another girl whispered.

Fubuki plopped down in a chair in the back row as Yoru took his own seat, and the teacher began his lesson. Though he seemed to be paying attention to the teacher, Fubuki pulled out a green Gamepad and accessed a function that pulled out a green grid of sorts. Using his stylus, he simply began doodling a curvy line with his stoned smile, not even looking at his Gamepad. "Heh… heh heh…" His laugh creeped out a couple students around him.

Out of nowhere _**(A/N: This is becoming a pattern, isn't it?)**_, wind rushed in from the classroom's open windows, blowing multiple students' papers around as well as the teacher's. The wind made an odd loop-de-loop with the things it had picked up before, weirdly, placing them back to where they initially were. Yoru, whose hair was blown completely back, blinked twice. "Uh… can anyone tell me what just happened?" Another student asked.

"It must've been the weather. I do recall a call for abnormal winds today." The teacher said, going to shut the window. Another gust of wind hit her full force in the face as if to taunt her, making some of the students, Yoru and Fubuki included, laugh. It annoyed the teacher, though, who slammed the window shut with a small growl.

"I don't know what game the sky's playing, but it's makin' me happy." One of the students mused among the laughing. Fubuki was looking at his Gamepad screen, having doodled a loop-de-loop on it.

*A Little Later* *Break Period*

"You guys should've been there. The way the wind whipped around was a nice refresher from that boring class." Yoru said to the rest of the group.

"So Fubuki-kun was in the classroom when it happened?" Kohaku said, a piece of tempura in his mouth. Yoru nodded.

"I still can't believe that a wind rage went off in Principal Wight's office when the guy went to see him!" Dizzy cried. "Maybe that dude is cursed by some sort of wind god!" This little statement got him weird looks from the others. "…What?"

Kohaku shrugged. "All I know is that the wind that's been raging around here is getting a little annoying. I've had four pieces of paper blown in my face today because of it." As if on cue, another bit of wind blew through the area, and a poster slammed into Kohaku's face. He groaned.

"Make that five." Plata said as Kohaku pulled the poster off.

"I don't even want to know how many perverts were in that hallway earlier…" Cleo groaned with an angry blush.

"Well, the teacher said there was supposed to be abnormal wind today. Maybe that's the case." Yoru mused.

"What kind of wind does a perfect loop-de-loop?" Doc asked. Yoru thought about it, but got no answer. "This is no ordinary wind phenomenon."

"Might I sit here…?" A voice asked. The group looked and saw Kuran looking at them with his usual emotionless stare.

"Hey, Kuran-kun! Sure, have a seat." Kohaku said with a smile. Kuran nodded, sat with them, and opened up his lunchbox.

"Doc is right, you know…" Kuran breathed.

Doc raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"This wind… it's not ordinary…" The redhead told him. "I feel it. Something is… controlling it…"

"You're joking, right?" Dizzy asked, skeptical.

Kuran shook his head. "No… I feel it. It must be…" Hearing some ruckus nearby, the group looked and saw Fubuki stumbling into the center area with a bucket on his foot. Kuran just stared at him, then Fubuki turned and saw him. The two teens locked eyes for a moment, and the area went eerily calm. Kohaku and his friends felt a little unnerved at Kuran and Fubuki's little stare-off. Then, Fubuki kicked the bucket off his foot and kept on lumbering until he had left the area, Kuran's eyes following him.

"Uh… hello? Kuran-kun?" Kohaku asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Forgive me. I can't stay here…" Kuran said, getting up. "I have something I must do…" He began walking in the same direction that Fubuki left.

Kohaku wasn't sure what was going on, but then again, neither were the others. "Who is this new guy…?"

"I'm telling you, Koha-kun, he's a Sykonetyk, just like Hydro." Yoru said. "That outfit is unmistakeable."

"Maybe he is, Yoru-kun. I certainly don't doubt that he could be." Kohaku said. "But he doesn't seem as bad as Hydro."

"Partly because he's stoned out of his mind." Plata snarked, making everyone laugh a bit.

"But still, there's no proof that he's actually the cause of anything bad. Even these wind gusts can't be tied to him." Kohaku told them.

"So what exactly are we supposed to to do about him?" Plata asked.

All of a sudden, a message popped up on Kohaku's Gamepad from Kuran, which he opened. _"Multiple wind gusts have occurred in areas where many girls have been present, flipping up their skirts every time. Fubuki has been present in all occassions, which has led me to believe that this character is not only responsible somehow, but also a pervert of some kind who does this deliberately. Keep close watch if you see him near any area with a large amount of girls. –Kuran"_ A few photographs were sent, showing wind gust activity in the situations Kuran described.

"I think we just got our reason for tailing this creep." Cleo said with slight anger. "He was in the hallway when the wind got me!"

"Easy, Cleo-chan." Kohaku spoke up, keeping her at bay. "I don't think these pictures are enough. We need to catch him in the act, if he's actually DOING this. But where can we do that?"

A lightbulb went off within the group. "…Aren't cheerleader tryouts today?" Dizzy asked.

"Yes, after school." Doc mused. "If what Kuran sent us is true, Fubuki may very well be there… and a wind gust may very well happen."

*Later That Day*

Dizzy and Doc were stationed near the football field that was located in the back of Delta High South, Dizzy having his video camera on standby. Nearby, the Delta High South cheerleaders were practicing their routine, their uniforms being primarily golden with purple secondary coloring. "Go! Go! Del-Ta Rays! Go! Go! Del-Ta Rays!" They cheered, their movements easily attracting most of the nearby boys.

Dizzy and Doc weren't immune to this, but they managed to keep themselves on track. "Remind me again why Koha-kun and the others didn't come with us." Dizzy said to Doc.

"They're waiting for you to get video proof of any involvement of Fubuki's in these wind gusts." Doc replied. "But keep your voice down. Fubuki could show up anywhere."

Dizzy grinned. "I feel like a spy doing this." Panning his camera around the field (making sure not to miss any footage of the girls), he quickly jerked his camera back. "Hey, there he is!" He whisper-yelled. Fubuki was right in the camera's sight image as he merely lumbered near the cheerleaders. "I think he's about to make a move…" But then, Fubuki changed direction, moving toward a nearby bench. "Wait, hang on. Looks like he's just finding a seat."

Fubuki stopped in front of the bench, giving his lazy smile. Holding up his Gamepad, he read a message that was on it: "Showtime." "Heh heh heh… I hope I don't miss…" He walked until he was positioned behind the bench, facing the cheerleaders. Slowly rising his arms, the grass in front of his slotted boots suddenly began to wave around… as if being blown by wind.

*Meanwhile*

As Kohaku, Plata, Yoru, and Cleo were heading home, Kohaku stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes zoning out. "Koha-kun?" Plata asked. The glow of the Silver Card shone for a moment, telling them that Kohaku was getting a vision.

However, this one was much shorter, as Kohaku snapped out of it within seconds. His face looked spooked. "…It IS him!" He cried before turning right around and racing back toward the school.

"Mate (Wait), Koha-kun!" Plata cried as the other three raced to follow him.

*Back at the School*

The ribbons on Fubuki's outfit began to ripple around as he kept his stance. "This is it! This is what we're after!" Dizzy whisper-yelled with his camera still rolling.

"Eh heh heh heh…" Fubuki's laugh almost seemed to echo. "…Catch…" Slowly moving his arms forward, a massive gust of wind blew through the area… uprooting the bench.

Dizzy and Doc went wide-eyed. "LOOK OUT!" They cried. The cheerleaders broke posture and saw the bench flying right at them. Screaming, they quickly bolted in all directions, letting the bench fly right past them and impact a wall, smashing into pieces.

"Dance… dance…" Fubuki mindlessly chanted. The wind uprooted chairs and rocks, blowing students away. All the while, Fubuki kept his lazy smile.

"How can he be smiling during all this?" Doc wondered, keeping himself low as the wind raged. "Is he that out of it?"

"Either that or he's doing it on purpose, like we've thought!" Dizzy cried. "Ngh! You think I've got enough footage yet?!" He had to raise his voice so the wind wouldn't drown him out.

"A… A little bit more! Catch him directing the wind if you can!" Doc called back. Dizzy stood his ground, his eyes crossing from the pressure.

*Meanwhile*

Kohaku saw the wind blowing across Delta High South, knowing the vision was correct. _'Oh man, oh man, oh man! I hope Dizzy-kun and Doc-kun are all right!'_ He thought worriedly.

*Back with Dizzy and Doc*

"Heh heh heh heh, eh heh heh heh heh… Awesome rush, man…" Fubuki breathed. He noticed a remaining cheerleader try to get away, making him drop his smile in confusion. "Hey… where ya goin'…?" He held out a hand as if to reach toward her, and wind followed the hand's direction, catching the girl in its path and causing her to fly a few feet to the ground.

"Good enough for me! I'm gone!" Dizzy cried, shutting off his camera and setting it down before jumping up from his cover, rushing at Fubuki. "Game over, blowhard!" He yelled.

Fubuki barely moved to face his attacker. "…Huh…?"

Dizzy stomped one foot into the ground and twisted his body into a spinning motion, keeping himself on course with one foot each time. "Super… Spinner… PUNCH!" With the momentum gained from his spin, Dizzy socked Fubuki clean in the cheek, sending him reeling in a spin himself and falling on his bottom, Dizzy spinning himself back onto two feet. The wind slowly lost power, but it was still blowing.

Fubuki's eyes were spinning. "Not cool, bro… What'd I do…?" He breathed.

Dizzy's eyes crossed. "Can you even SEE the wind going crazy? I've got you on film causing it!"

"Huh…? You… taped it?" Fubuki wondered, slowly getting to his feet. "Uncool, man… That ain't for someone to rewind and play over and over…"

"So you admit it was you!" Doc said. "Just who are you?"

"They call me the Maestro of Wind…" Fubuki said. Slowly, he began waving his arms around, causing wind to blow the ribbons on his shoulders around elegantly. He finished his pose by moving his arms to his sides with his hands pointing down, his chin tilted upward. "But I am a Sykonetyk… Call me Aero."

"That clinches it. 'Aero', the prefix for wind. Just like Hydro, the prefix for water." Doc said.

"I don't like you tapin' my wind, buddy…" Aero breathed, his face still lazy-looking, but he was no longer smiling. "Gimme it…"

"Screw you, man! I'm gonna thrash you for this!" Dizzy beat his fists together.

"...Not cool… I'll win that footage off you…" Aero said, holding up an arm. Green wind swirled around his hand, covering it in a ball of wind. However, his left foot stumbled, throwing off his aim. "Whoa…!" During his fall, a green corkscrew of wind shot out from his hand, completely missing Dizzy and instead hitting Doc's arm, the corkscrew wrapping around his wrist and solidifying.

"Nani?!" Doc cried.

Aero looked up and saw his "target". "Oops… Gomen, bro. Looks like I missed, eh heh heh…" He got to his feet. "Oh well… I'll just win that tape offa you…" A sudden wind gust blasted Dizzy away from them.

"Whaa! Oof!" Dizzy grunted as he landed.

"Dizzy-kun!" Kohaku cried as he made it to the field.

"Ngh! Gomen, Koha-kun! Aero already snared him!" Dizzy told him. Kohaku looked at Doc and Aero as Plata, Yoru, and Cleo arrived.

"As if Dizzy's going to just hand you the tape if you beat me." Doc told Aero. "He could run away with the footage right now."

"…No he won't…" Aero breathed, moving his finger as if to scratch something.

All of a sudden, Doc felt something cut his cheek. "Agh!" He slammed his hand to his cheek. "What was that?"

"Razor wind…" Aero said. "He won't leave knowing I can do that… Eh heh heh heh… But I'll let you go if you win…"

Doc removed his hand from his face, noting that the cut didn't draw blood. "Darn. I guess you Sykonetyks don't take no for an answer. Fine. Let's see what you're made of."

"Bring it, bro…" Aero breathed, causing his wind Duel Anchor to turn invisible. "D-Controller, switch on." Holding up his right arm, green wind swirled around it, converging into a ball that exploded into a green D-Controller that had a few ribbons on it like those on Aero's shoulders, a Deck already within.

"D-Controller, switch on!" Doc's white D-Controller equipped to his wrist, Deck within.

"D-Gazer, set!" Doc put on his D-Gazer, but wind converged around Aero's eye, causing a small spiral that revealed a dark green D-Gazer with a lime green lens.

**"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED."** Everyone around's D-Gazers flashed. **"ESTABLISHING LINK BETWEEN A AND B."** The area warped into the Augmented Reality.

"DUEL!"

**Doc LP:4000**

**Aero LP:4000**

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Doc drew his first card. "Hmm… Maniacal Medic, Shoukan!" This monster emerged as a human male decked out in a white lab coat with a red cross on it, red latex gloves, and black boots. He seemed like a professional, but his eyes opened wide with a crazy grin, and he pulled a large image off of his back, revealing it to be a huge bonesaw.

**Maniacal Medic: Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:1200**

"Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end." Doc's facedown emerged.

"Boku no turn… Draw." Aero drew his card, wobbling a bit. "Whoa… Heh heh, what do I got…?" He looked at his hand, then picked a card. "Windcutor Shirotross, Shoukan." From a small swirl of wind, an odd monster emerged. It was female, being clad in a white robe lined with green, with a white cover over her mouth and nose. She had long black hair and large white wings, and was holding a brown staff with a white gem in it, wind swirling around the gem.

**Winductor Shirotross: Lv.4 WIND Spellcaster/Base ATK:1400/DEF:1000**

"Winductor Shirotross… no kouka hatsudo. By discarding a card from my hand… I can send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard." He sent one card and took his top card (another Shirotross), placing it in the Graveyard. "Eh heh heh… if Shirotross sends a WIND monster from my Deck by this effect, I can send another card." His second card was a Trap, so he had to stop there.

_'He must be preparing for a Composition Summon.'_ Doc thought.

"Winductor Shirotross… attack Maniacal Medic!" The white-winged Spellcaster twirled her staff around to gather wind, then fired it off as a white tornado that barreled toward Doc's monster.

"Maniacal Medic no kouka hatsudo!" Doc cut in. "During either turn while Medic's Attack Points are his original value, I can pay up to 800 Life Points to increase my monster's Attack Points by the same amount!" A red aura formed over Doc before it left him and covered his monster, the aura strengthening his bonesaw and making him laugh.

**Doc LP:3200**

**Maniacal Medic ATK:2000**

"Uh-oh…" Aero breathed. Maniacal Medic clashed his bonesaw with the tornado, struggling for a moment, but slashed right through it, using the wind to send an air blade back at Shirotross, slicing it in two and destroying it.

**Aero LP:3400**

Aero blinked twice. "That sucked… big time. Kaado ichi mai settei." A facedown emerged. "Turn end."

_'Come on, Doc-kun… Thrash this creep!'_ Kohaku thought.

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Doc drew his card. "Equip Magic, **Medi Gun**, hatsudo!" An odd weapon dropped from above, caught by his monster: A hose-like weapon with a shotgun-esque barrel reloader, a grip on the bottom with a trigger, and a tank holding an odd red liquid attached to the back end.

"Ah! Doc's signature Magic Card!" Kohaku chirped.

"Medi Gun no kouka hatsudo! By returning my Maniacal Medic's Attack Points to their original amount, I can regain all of the Life Points I paid to increase them!" His monster docked his bonesaw and turned around, pointed the Medi Gun at him, cocked the reloader which caused the red liquid in the tank to churn, and pressed the trigger, firing a red laser beam from the nozzle that struck Doc. He had his eyes closed in peace as the beam gave off little crosses, restoring his lost health.

**Doc LP:4000**

**Maniacal Medic ATK:1200**

"Ah, that felt good. Now for some more power." Doc said as he opened his eyes, picking another card. "**Vitamin Sight-C** no kouka hatsudo. This monster can be equipped to a monster I control as a Magic Card." Placing the card in his Magic and Trap Card Zone, the monster emerged as what looked like two floating hands, two floating feet, and a pair of huge glasses with thick lens. The monster floated down in front of Maniacal Medic, forming and handing him a glass of water before morphing into a form that resembled a half-black, half-white vitamin pill. Medic saw this and made his Medi Gun vanish, and the pill shrunk to normal pill-size and flew into Maniacal Medic's free hand, who slapped the pill into his mouth and swallowed, chugging the glass of water to help him. When he finished, Medic let out a breath, the glass vanishing. Within a second, a pair of odd glasses resembling Sight-C's glasses appeared on his face.

"Freaky specs, dude…" Aero breathed. "What are they for…?"

Doc smirked. "I'll show you. Maniacal Medic no kouka hatsudo. Since his Life Points are his original value, I can pay the 800 Life Points I just regained to increase his Attack Points to 2000 again!" The red aura reformed over him before striking Medic, pouring power into his bonesaw again.

**Doc LP:3200**

**Maniacal Medic ATK:2000**

"Maniacal Medic, attack Aero directly!" Medic grinned evilly before drawing his bonesaw. "Dark Procedure!" Laughing insanely, the "good doctor" dashed forward before leaping up. "Vitamin Sight-C no kouka hatsudo!" Medic's glasses began to glow. "When a monster powered by Sight-C attacks, I am allowed to view your facedown card to see if it poses any threat to me." With a bright glow, Medic saw right through the card back. The facedown card was Debris Storm. "No threat posed. Continue the attack!" The grinning doctor fell and brought his bonesaw down, cleaving right through Aero (in the AR sense). Although the wind stirred, Aero didn't lose his footing: He merely leaned back and stumbled, but slowly rose back up.

**Aero LP:1400**

"Yosh! That'll show those Sykonetyks who's boss!" Plata chirped with a snap of her fingers.

Doc adjusted the doctor's headband around his neck with a content smile. "I have a good feeling about this operation. During the End Phase, Vitamin Sight-C's effects wear off and it is sent to the Graveyard." The glasses floated off of Medic's face and reformed into Vitamin Sight-C, who waved. Medic gave a nod before it vanished. "Turn end."

"That hurt…" Aero breathed, his stare turning eerie. "I don't think I should take that… Boku no turn… Draw!" He drew his card. "My third Winductor Shirotross, Shoukan!" A second copy of the white-winged wand-wielder emerged.

**Winductor Shirotross: Lv.4 WIND Spellcaster/Base ATK:1400/DEF:1000**

"Continuous Magic, **Deck Twister**, hatsudo." A new card emerged on Aero's field, causing a small tornado to begin blowing in the middle of the field with weak force. "While this card is up, if any cards are sent from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard by a WIND monster, eh heh heh… you have to send the same number of cards from your Deck to the Graveyard, dude."

"Nani?" Doc gasped. The others gasped as well.

"Winductor Shirotross no kouka hatsudo. I discard one card from my hand to send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard…" He sent his card and sent his top card: Winductor Akalcon. The tornado in the center of the field suddenly picked up force, pulling Doc's top card from his Deck and throwing it to his Graveyard. "Continuous Trap, **Debris Storm**, hatsudo." Parts of the AR ground began to be picked up by the tornado. "Each time a card is sent from the top of a player's Deck to the Graveyard by a monster effect… you take 100 points of damage."

A rock from the tornado was launched at Doc, but something happened: The rock actually impacted Doc's chest. "Agh!" He groaned, feeling real pain. "N… Nanda?"

**Doc LP:3100**

"Did… did his attack just hurt Doc for real?" Yoru gasped.

"Eh heh heh… Hydro never did that, huh?" Aero laughed lazily. "He missed out big time. I sent a monster, so I can send another card…" He sent another card, which was another monster, leading to a third card sent, which was a Magic. The tornado pulled two more cards from Doc's Deck and sent them to his Graveyard, while debris was uprooted from the ground and thrown at him.

"Uwaah!" Doc cried, dodging the debris.

**Doc LP:2900**

"Eh heh heh… Now I can get you back." Aero said. "Shirotross… call your friend, heh heh!" Pointing her staff upward, Shirotross called forth four other monsters from purple portals: Two other copies of Shirotross, as well as a short child with large blue wings and a larger man with red wings. "Boku wa Winductor Aowl… Winductor Akalcon to… Reberu Yon no Winductor Shirotross de... Shinajiazu!" The five humanoids pointed their wands up into a center above the Base, firing their energy to create a pure green sphere of energy, then all five of them became Soul Towers that fired green lightning at the sphere. "Korera go tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite… kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai!" The sphere pulsed erratically before exploding into a powerful green tornado. "Kōzu Shoukan…!" The tornado began to erase itself from the ground up, starting to reveal its form. The legs were shown to be clad in lime green boots with elven-curved toes. "Raging green winds ravage the land…" The next part of its body showed dark green tights on its legs, the back of a long coat showing behind its legs. "Green wings are all that can withstand it…!" The long jacket was shown to be open, with a muscular male chest. The jacket had long sleeves that ended in gloves, the right hand holding its own wand, which had a large emerald framed by two plastic wings. "Winductor… Midoroc!" The head formed, showing a green-haired male with a hairstyle resembling wings. His eyes (also green) shot open as he spread a HUGE pair of green wings on his back, swiping his wand to cause a burst of wind and take his position, being energized by the five Soul Towers.

**Winductor Midoroc: Quality 4 WIND Spellcaster/Composition ATK:2400/DEF:1800 5 Active Soul Towers**

"I have a bad feeling about this." Doc mused.

"Heh heh heh heh… Windcutor Midoroc no kouka hatsudo." Aero said, one of the five Soul Towers shutting off.

**Winductor Midoroc: 4 Active Soul Towers**

"By deactivating one of Midoroc's Soul Towers, the top 3 cards of both of our Decks are sent to the Graveyard… but thanks to Deck Twister, you lose 6 cards instead, bro…! Heh heh heh heh…!" Twirling his wand, Midoroc thrust it upward, causing the Deck Twister in the middle of the field to rage violently. Three cards from Aero's Deck and six from Doc's were swept away in the wind, being sent to the Graveyard.

"He's trying to make him Deck Out!" Dizzy cried.

"Even though nine cards were sent to the Graveyard, only six went there by a monster effect… meaning Debris Storm inflicts 600 more damage to you…!" More debris was uprooted by the tornado and flung at Doc, who dodged most but got hit in the stomach by a rock.

**Doc LP:2300**

"Now, Midoroc… Attack Maniacal Medic! Emerald Twister…!" With a flash of the emerald on his wand, Midoroc spun said instrument around before launching a horizontal green tornado directly at Doc's monster, impacting him in the chest and destroying him.

"Ngh…" Doc groaned as he blocked the backdraft with his arms, but all of a sudden, another razor wind nicked the back of his left hand. "Gah!"

**Doc LP:1900**

"Oi, quit slicing our friend!" Plata snapped.

Aero looked at Plata and blinked. "…Huh? I did that?" Plata sweatdropped.

"I'm starting to think he doesn't have control over the wind as much as we thought." Cleo said.

"Doesn't make him any less dangerous!" Dizzy cried. "Heck, that's even worse!"

Doc groaned. "Since you dealt damage to me through battle with a monster, Emergency Nurse, Tokushu Shoukan!" His new monster emerged as a female monster with long, curly scarlet hair, a slightly revealing pink nurse's uniform (it was actually armor), and was flying with a large pair of yellow butterfly wings. She held a ray gun of some sorts that was filled with the same red liquid as the Medi Gun. She crouched down and covered herself with her wings. "And her Attack Points are equal to the damage I took!" The red liquid in her ray gun churned as a red aura covered her.

**Emergency Nurse: Lv.3 LIGHT Fairy ATK:400(normally 0)/DEF:1200**

"You don't give up, man…" Aero breathed. "Kaado ichi mai settei… Turn end." His facedown emerged.

"Watashi no turn! Draw!" Doc drew his card. "**Vitamin Guar-D** no kouka hatsudo! I can equip it to Emergency Nurse to prevent her from being destroyed by battle during your next Battle Phase!" His new monster emerged as similar to Vitamin Sight-C, but the glasses were replaced with a blue shield (with a yellow rim) with eyes on it. Handing Emergency Nurse some water, it morphed into a blue-and-yellow vitamin pill. Setting down her ray gun, Nurse snatched the pill, slapped it in her mouth, and chugged the water to help her swallow. The glass vanished, and an identical copy of the shield emerged in her other hand as Nurse picked up her gun. "Emergency Nurse no kouka hatsudo. By reducing her Attack Points to 0, I can add them to my Life Points!" Nurse pointed her gun at Doc and fired a Medi Laser, healing him.

**Doc LP:2300**

**Emergency Nurse ATK:0**

"Turn end!"

"Boku no turn… Draw!" Aero drew his card. "Winductor Midoroc… no kouka hatsudo!" Three more cards from both of our Decks go to the Graveyard… Well, six from your Deck, heh heh…!" With a wave of his wand, Midoroc caused the Deck Twister to rage again, stealing nine cards from both players' Decks.

However, the Debris Storm uprooted more ground and flung it at Doc. "Waah!" He cried as he dodged. "I'm getting sick of this!"

**Doc LP:1700**

"I ain't doing all this… but I like doing this. Magic Card, **Razor Wind**, hatsudo…!" The wings on Midoroc's wand turned extra-sharp. "This card increases the Attack Points of all WIND monsters I control by 400… and if they attack a monster with less Defense Points than their Attack Points… the difference between their stats goes to you as damage, heh heh…! Midoroc, attack Emergency Nurse!" The green-winged magician unleashed its green tornado, but halfway to its target, the tornado exploded into numerous green wind blades.

The blades slashed across Emergency Nurse numerous times, thankfully leaving her be thanks to the shield, but one of the blades went toward Doc, slicing him in the lower part of his leg. "GAAH!" He fell to his knee, clutching his leg.

**Doc LP:100**

"Doc-kun!" Kohaku and his friends cried.

"Nggh… I'll be fine!" Doc said. He ripped offthe lower part of his pants, exposing the bleeding cut, and quickly wrapped the fabric over the cut to stop the bleeding, tying a firm knot to keep it covered. "Whew… there!"

"Whoa… nice save, bro…" Aero said with his lazy smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment. They don't call me 'Doc' for no reason." Doc told him with a smirk. "Anything else?"

"How is he still so confident?" Dizzy wondered.

"Uh…" Aero looked at his hand. "Eh… I got nothin'. Turn end."

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Doc drew his card. "Time to quell this storm!" Aero looked confused. "I release Emergency Nurse. Vitamin D-ark, Adobansu Shoukan!" The butterfly-winged woman vanished, being replaced with what appeared to be a small boat made of blackish-purple wood, decorated with a shark face. Like the other two Vitamins, it had small arms and small legs.

**Vitamin D-ark: Lv.5 DARK Plant/Base ATK:1000/DEF:1000**

"Continuous Trap, **Transfusion A**, hatsudo!" His facedown flipped up. "This card enables me to Special Summon a Level 4 or below monster from my Graveyard. Maniacal Medic, Tokushu Shoukan!" His bonesaw-wielding mad doctor emerged from a purple portal, grinning his grin.

**Maniacal Medic: Lv.4 LIGHT Warrior ATK:1200/DEF:1200**

"And after the monster is Summoned, Transfusion A gains two Transfusion Counters." An odd IV stand emerged, having two blood bags attached to it.

**Transfusion A: 2 Transfusion Counters**

"Now, it's time to operate!" Doc declared. Vitamin D-ark snapped its fingers, and from three purple portals, the remaining three monsters in his Graveyard emerged, D-ark forming a square formation with them. "Watashi wa Vitamin Sight-C, Vitamin Guar-D, Emergency Nurse to, Reberu Go no Vitamin D-ark de Shinajaizu!" All four monsters fired energy into their center, forming a ball of orange, yellow, and purple energy. The four of them then became Soul Towers that fired yellow lightning at the sphere. "Korera go tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, kyōryoku atarashī tamashī ga tanjō shinakereba naranai! Kōzu Shoukan!" The energy ball stretched out, and two wings shot out from it. A pointed tail formed from it, but when the energy dispersed from it, small bones were lining it, as were bones lining the wings. The chest had no bones, but they had bone markings. The beast's body was a bright orange, and it formed a short yet fat serpentine dragon of some sort. "Arawareyo, Vitamin D-ragon!" Two sharp-clawed hands emerged from the energy, and finally the head formed, having three horns on its head made out of pearly white bones. It gnashed its teeth twice before its tail split apart into a claw of sorts made out of four bones, perching itself on the ground with it.

**Vitamin D-ragon: Quality 5 LIGHT Dragon/Composition ATK:1500/DEF:1500 4 Active Soul Towers**

Aero blinked. "1500 points… what's that gonna do…?"

"Just watch. Vitamin D-ragon no kouka hatsudo!" One of the four Soul Towers shut off.

**Vitamin D-ragon: 3 Active Soul Towers**

"By using a Soul Tower, Vitamin D-ragon can equip itself to a monster I control to bolster its Attack Points by 1500." A glass of water, larger than normal appeared in front of Medic, then the dragon morphed into an orange-and-tan pill. Medic snatched the pill and gulped it, chugging some of the water to help him swallow. After putting the glass down (it didn't vanish this time), a helmet resembling D-ragon's head formed over his head.

**Maniacal Medic ATK:2700**

"Magic Card, **Multi Vitamin**, hatsudo! This card doubles the changes in Attack Points from Equip Cards equipped to Level 4 or below monsters for this turn!" A green-and-purple pill shot out from the Magic Card, which Medic grabbed and swallowed, chugging more water to swallow. This caused his new helmet to start glowing, sprouting more bone horns.

**Maniacal Medic ATK:4200**

Aero's eyes finally went wider than normal. "…Uh-oh…"

"Correct reaction. Maniacal Medic, attack Winductor Midoroc!" Using his new helmet, Medic brought his bonesaw up to his face and started chomping it with the helmet's sharp teeth, making it even MORE jagged, before rushing forward, leaping up, and bringing down his bonesaw. Midoroc tried to block the attack with his wand, but the saw sliced right through it and through him, cleaving him in half and making him explode violently. Aero was thrown back by his own gust of heavy wind, dislodging an odd device from his body before he landed on the ground, his face turned toward Doc.

**Doc LP:100**

**Aero LP:0 – LOSER**

Doc's face appeared with the word "WIN" as the buzzer sounded, the Augmented Reality vanishing. "Operation successful." Doc mused.

"Nice Duel, Doc-kun!" Kohaku cried, the group rushing over to him.

"Ah… finally! No more wind!" Cleo chirped.

"How's your leg, Doc?" Yoru asked, worried.

"It should be fine later. Get the gauze out of my bag, will you?" Doc asked, turning around. Yoru rummaged through Doc's backpack, pulling out a roll of gauze. "Arigatou." He took the gauze from his narcoleptic friend. "Koha-kun, when I say go, remove the cloth bind." Kohaku nodded, kneeling down with his hands on the wrapping as Doc unrolled some gauze. "Go!" Kohaku quickly unwrapped the ripped piece of pants, and Doc quickly re-covered the bloody cut with fresh gauze, making sure to cover as much as possible. "Tape!"

Yoru quickly pulled a roll of surgical tape out of his bag. "Tape!" He pulled out some of the roll and wrapped a full circle around the tightly-bound gauze, holding it in place on his leg. He ripped the piece from its roll and finished the tape.

"Arigatou, guys. I'll have Tou-chan fix up the wound for real when I get home." Doc said. He noticed Dizzy sweating bullets. "You all right, Dizzy?"

"…How did you not bat an eye during that?!" Dizzy cried. "Your leg was sliced by a razor wind!"

"My father's a doctor. One thing he always told me: 'Keep calm in an emergency.'" Doc said confidently. Dizzy still looked unnvered.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Kohaku called. They turned and saw him picking up the device that was dislodged from Aero. "What do you make of this thing?"

His friends looked confused. "Lemme see that." Plata said, snatching it out of his hand. It looked weird: A box-like device with a joystick, multiple buttons, and a propeller coming out of it. "Hmm… let's see what this does." She pushed a green button, causing the propeller to spin violently.

"…Eh heh heh heh heh…" Aero's lazy laugh was heard, making them turn toward him. He was giving his lazy stare and smile. "Wrong buttons, buddies… See ya around…" All of a sudden, wind converged around him, covering him in a mini-tornado.

"HEY!" Kohaku cried, rushing toward him. However, the tornado dissipated, showing that Aero was gone. He stomped his foot. "Kuso!"

Plata looked back at the device. "…That's it! This thing was what let him control the wind!" However, the box crackled with electricity before exploding in her hands. "Whaa!"

"…And there goes our only lead to who these people are." Doc mused, staring at the wreckage.

Kohaku, however, was spooked. "Who are these people…?" He breathed.

*Meanwhile*

"Collateral damage. That's all you accomplished?!" A voice angrily berated Aero. However, the WIND user didn't seem too fazed.

"Hey, don't worry about it, sir." A voice that wasn't either of them said. A new shadowed figure emerged. "It's all part of a plan I have."

"…I wasn't briefed on this. Tell me." The first voice said. The new figure whispered his plan into the first figure's ear, getting nods from him. When the third figure finished, the first figure put his fingers to his chin. "Interesting…"

"And we're two-thirds of the way there. Aero here did his job well." The third figure said, ruffling Aero's hair. "I just need one more person on my side for this. Can you spare Geo for me?"

"Hmm… yes. I'll make sure Geo is ready for Phase 3 of your plan." The first figure said. "But don't botch it."

The third figure chuckled. "Don't worry, sir. I've got it all thought out…"

* * *

***7 second music***

**I will not lie down, roll over**  
***3 second music***  
**I will not just let it by**  
***3 second music***

**I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh **_(One of the silhouettes that appears around Kohaku is un-shadowed, showing it to be Sykonetyk - Aero.)_  
**You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero**

**I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now**  
**With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down**  
**Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow**  
**There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now**

**10…**  
**9…**  
**8…**  
**7…**  
**6…**  
**5…**  
**4…**  
**3…**  
**2…**  
**1…**  
**0…**

* * *

*Preview*

Sokudo: If there's one thing I don't like, it's a total braggart!

?: Heh heh heh heh! Jealous that you aren't as smart as me?

Kinoko: Being smart's not so fun if you're so mean because of it!

Sokudo: You can show him that you're better, right, Kinoko-nee-chan?

?: N-No way! You can't be smarter than me! You're not!

Kinoko: Maybe I should make you stop being mean now!

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "Dueling Prodigies! Kinoko's Mind Revealed!" It is ON!

* * *

Author-Made Cards

Maniacal Medic  
Level 4 LIGHT Warrior  
ATK:1200/DEF:1200  
Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can pay up to 800 Life Points: Increase this card's ATK by the same amount. You can only activate this effect if this card's ATK is the same as its original ATK.

Winductor Shirotross  
Level 4 WIND Spellcaster/Base  
ATK:1400/DEF:1000Once per turn: You can discard 1 card from your hand: Send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard. If a WIND monster is sent to the Graveyard by this effect: Continue sending cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard until a card that is not a WIND monster is sent.

Vitamin Sight-C  
Level 3 EARTH Fairy  
ATK:500/DEF:500  
During your Main Phase 1: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. When a monster equipped with this card attacks: You can check all Set cards your opponent controls. If you do this: You can choose to negate your monster's attack. During the End Phase that this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Winductor Aowl  
Level 2 WIND Spellcaster  
ATK:600/DEF:200  
If this card is sent from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard: You can send 1 Level 2 WIND monster from your Deck to the Graveyard.

Winductor Akalcon  
Level 5 WIND Spellcaster  
ATK:2000/DEF:1400If this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Return 1 WIND monster from your Graveyard to your Deck for every 400 points of Battle Damage dealt.

Emergency Nurse  
Level 3 LIGHT Fairy  
ATK:0/DEF:1200  
When you take Battle Damage from a battle involving a monster you control: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If you do: This card's original ATK becomes equal to the Battle Damage you took from that battle. During your Main Phase while you control this card that was Special Summoned by its own effect: You can reduce this card's ATK to 0: Gain Life Points equal to that amount.

Vitamin Guard-D  
Level 4 EARTH Machine  
ATK:500/DEF:500  
During your Main Phase 2: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Vitamin D-ark  
Level 5 DARK Plant/Base  
ATK:1000/DEF:1000  
During your Main Phase 1: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. A monster equipped with this card is treated as a Base Monster. During the End Phase that this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Winductor Midoroc  
Quality 4 WIND Spellcaster/Composition  
ATK:2400/DEF:1800  
1 Level 4 WIND Base + 4 WIND monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, you can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials: Send the top 3 cards from both both players' Decks to their Graveyards.

Vitamin D-ragon  
Quality 5 LIGHT Dragon/Composition  
ATK:1500/DEF:1500  
1 Level 5 Base + 3 Level 4 or below monsters in your Graveyard  
Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials: Equip this card to a Level 4 or below monster you control. The equipped monster gains ATK equal to this card's ATK or DEF, whichever is higher. This card's Composition Materials remain on the field as long as this card is still on the field. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle: You can Special Summon this card.

Medi Gun  
Equip Spell Card  
Target 1 monster you control whose ATK is higher than its original ATK: Return its ATK to its original ATK, then gain Life Points equal to the change in ATK.

Deck Twister  
Continuous Spell Card  
If cards are sent from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard by the effect of a WIND monster: Your opponent must send the same number of cards from the top of their Deck to the Graveyard.

Razor Wind  
Normal Spell Card  
All WIND monsters you control gain 400 ATK and inflict Piercing damage until the End Phase.

Multi Vitamin  
Normal Spell Card  
Double all changes in the ATK of Level 4 or below monsters you control by the effects of Equip Cards until the End Phase.

Debris Storm  
Continuous Trap Card  
Inflict 100 damage to your opponent for each card sent from the top of a player's Deck to the Graveyard by a monster effect.

Transfusion A  
Continuous Trap Card  
Target 1 Level 4 or below monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon 1, then place 2 Transfusion Counters on this card. If the target would be destroyed by battle: You can remove 1 Transfusion Counter from this card instead.

* * *

**Vile: We've seen the second Sykonetyk, Aero, but what are he and Hydro even planning? Why did Aero seemingly go berserk?**

**Dizzy: Too much weed?**

**Vile: ...That question didn't require an answer, but that works.**

**Doc: I didn't appreciate the bloody shin you gave me.**

**Vile: Hey, I had to give Aero an edge, no pun intended. Anyhoo, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! I should have something new done soon, so keep your eyes peeled! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


End file.
